


Keeper Of The Flame

by rachelarcher



Category: Supernatural, Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Derek Deserves Nice Things, F/F, F/M, Gen, Hunters, Hunters & Hunting, M/M, McCall Pack, Multi, Original Character(s), Pack Bonding, Pack Dynamics, Pack Feels, Pack Mom, Polyamorous Pack, Protective Pack, Stiles is a Nice Thing., Supernatural Hunters, Werewolf Hunters, Wolf Pack, it's been on my harddrive for two years guys, semi-cannon, supernatural broke me so now i'm responding with this, this may or may not have more pieces to it, triades
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-08
Updated: 2021-02-08
Packaged: 2021-03-14 12:48:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage
Chapters: 3
Words: 64,180
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29296179
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rachelarcher/pseuds/rachelarcher
Summary: Cannon divergence after Stiles is taken by Grandpa Argent. When someone Derek thought dead returns and rescues Stiles he's forced to work with Peter, and hunters in an unlikely way. Together they take on the Alpha pack, the Argents, and the Kanima. Somehow, they become one of the strongest packs in America.
Relationships: Chris Argent/Melissa McCall, Corey Bryant/Mason Hewitt, Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski, Ethan/Danny Mahealani, Laura Hale/Camden Lahey/Aiden, Liam Dunbar/Theo Raeken/Hayden Romero, Lydia Martin/Jackson Whittemore/Jordan Parrish, Past Chris Argent/Victoria Argent, Sheriff Stilinski/Peter Hale/Original Hale Character, Vernon Boyd/Cora Hale/Erica Reyes, eventual Breaden/Charlie, eventual Lorilee/Claire, mentions of Peter/Corrine, past Derek Hale/Kate Argent, past Sheriff Stilinski/Claudia, various other parings
Comments: 3
Kudos: 56





	1. So When You’re Restless

**Author's Note:**

> I don't own Teen Wolf or Supernatural. I own Roz and Emmet. And any other character not specifically named in either of the universes.

So When You’re Restless 

_(I Will Calm The Ocean For You)_

☽♚♛♚☾

He won the game, he was the reason they didn’t suck. Stiles Stilinski did something good. So, of course the universe (and really, it’s cosmic sense of humor was on the verge of giving him whiplash as it was) had to balance his life - and get him kidnapped. Stiles was seriously starting to think that hunters and supernatural creatures all had some low key _‘hate Stiles, kill Stiles’_ drive that he really needed to sort out and soon, because this? **This was bullshit.** His life and whatever sick twisted thing he had done in a past life, was really starting to piss him off on levels he hadn’t known existed. 

Things were finally starting to somewhat calm down. Sure, Derek was the alpha werewolf. He had a pretty strange pack - he had inherited Scott, if the idiot would stop trying to play both fields and be so morally pure that it made Stiles want to vomit. He had inherited Lydia as a beta, his first real beta. Lydia and Derek had a bond that Stiles wasn’t sure he wanted to understand. Derek had bitten Jackson, partially because Jackson wanted it, and partially because Lydia had demanded it. They were sickeningly happy. Stiles sort of hated that they were perfect even as werewolves. Lydia had control that rivaled Derek, and Jackson was one anger management lesson away from _‘being fine’_ in Derek’s very useful words. 

Then Derek had turned Isaac Lahey, the boy was a puppy sweet and kind, and Derek had somehow managed to get custody of Isaac, sending the boy's father to jail, indefinitely. Then eighteen-year-old Vernon Boyd, who preferred to be called Boyd, who had been living outside of his parents' house since he was fifteen. Then Erica Reyes, the pretty girl hidden behind the disease she couldn’t control. Stiles was pretty sure Derek sweet talked her parents into letting her move out, or he paid them off. Even Jackson had left home, legally emancipating himself from his parents, and Lydia had convinced both her parents that _‘following their divorce’_ she _‘just needed some distance’_. 

Stiles wasn’t sure where he fit. Derek was always careful to invite him to pack meetings, always made sure he knew even if Scott wasn’t coming that he knew could. Stiles at first thought it was his way of still trying to draw Scott in, but Derek never asked about the wayward beta, never bothered to ask if he was handling the whole lone wolf bullshit or not. And honestly, Scott was too wrapped up in his soap opera with Allison to notice anything. So eventually Stiles stopped trying to figure Derek’s reasoning out when it came to him, only when it came to him. 

So really, at that moment, with Erica and Boyd strung up on some sort of heightened electrical fence, and Gerard Argent beating the shit out of him. Stiles was 100% sure that Scott wasn’t going to rescue him, which he blatantly informed Argent multiple times. He had a better chance of Derek noticing his absence and coming for him. Actually, at that point, Stiles was banking on it, because he’d reached across the fledgling pack bond he as a human could feel and tugged, his very being shouting for Derek. Which sadly brought him back to why Grandpa Argent decided to take him. 

He wanted information, all about Derek and the other Hale’s who were alive. Stiles honestly wished he knew if others were alive, Derek deserved the chance to be happy, and he deserved family other than fucking Peter the Creeperwolf Hale, but instead he remained completely silent. Both Erica and Boyd were tight lipped, which was a testament to their love for either Stiles or Derek, he wasn’t sure, when Gerard raised a knife, they both strained against their bonds, clearly intent on their wishes to kill the older man. 

“Interesting, Stiles, these two ran away from Derek - I captured them fair and square, yet, they protect him as fiercely as you do, are you all his little bitches?” When no one answered him, he sunk the knife into Stiles’ shoulder, the blade catching on his collarbone, and a yelp rippled from his lips, in the next moment Argent had a baton to both Erica and Boyd’s necks, shooting more volts through their bodies, the pair of them howled in frustration.

“Tut Tut, gramps, didn’t anyone ever tell you not to play with your food?” The voice was bitter, and alarmingly near, when Stiles’ vision cleared, he wasn’t sure who she was, or what she was, but there were two wolves behind her, their lips curled back and snarls on their faces, eyes glinting golden. “I mean, I fully intend to play with you, devour you and that bitch you call your daughter, in more ways than one for what you two did to my pack. I keep having to clean up Kate’s fucking messes. Do you have any clue the strings I had to pull to bring this one back?” Stiles' vision was a little better, as he raised his bloody head to see a very alive Laura Hale behind the other two wolves, her own eyes blue, and glowing into the room.

“Rozlyn Compton.” Gerard looked terrified enough to drop the baton, and back away, but he didn't make it far, before she was on him, knocking him to the floor, her clawed hands similar to wolves, but something scarier, as they hooked under his ribs, and literally pried him open, his ribs jutting violently, and snapping against the pressure, he sputtered and gouged at her, but it didn’t stop her, Stiles caught a glint of silver, like her eyes were glowing silver, rimmed with red, before he could really reflect on it, a boy that looked a lot like a young Derek was pushing past him, and undoing Boyd, just as the yellow eyed girl was moving to Erica. Laura moved to unhook his arms, and cradled him to her chest. Gerard screamed, his body violently slamming into the concrete, as she drew his heart from his chest, and bit it, blood squirting from between her lips, and dribbling down her chin.

“Dude, Roz, you just told him not to play with his food.” The boy groaned, “You got blood on my pants.” Stiles’ head was swimming too much at that moment for him to verify if there was in fact blood on the pants the voice belonged to. 

“Emmett, stop being a baby.” Laura frowned. “Cora, let’s move.” Stiles didn't have time to think as Laura tossed him into a bridal hold, pulling him against her chest, and nuzzling the crown of his head, he could hear the sound of flesh ripping behind him, and his mind wandered to the creature - to Roz. 

Finally he found his voice, “What is she?”

“Oh, Roz, she’s a bit of a monster, really, mom could keep her on a leash, but Derek probably will have his work cut out for him.” Laura sighed. “Roz was a witch, in the early 1600s in Wales, she met her untimely end when a vampire named Laurent attempted to kill her, he wanted her to marry him, but she refused, always a flare for the dramatic. She woke in a coffin, drug her way out, and ended up in America, since no one here knew she was supposedly dead. She met one of my many great-grandmothers, Magda Hale, who took her into the pack, and issued her a covenant, as long as Roz took care of the pups, and harmed no human without provocation, she could remain hidden within the Hales. Which worked out well until my grandmother Meredith bit her.” Laura was still walking, heading towards the Stilinski house, he assumed. Erica was on Cora’s back, and Boyd was over Emmett’s shoulders, the creature - Roz was a little bit behind them, something cradled lovingly in her hands, as she moved. “Most vampires would have died from a werewolf bite but instead, she… she, well, she woke up a little different. She could go in the sunlight again.” 

Stiles grunted, his arms hurt from being over his head for god knows how long, and his headache from all the new information. His eyes were sort of blurry, and he couldn’t quite make his shoulder stop throbbing. “What time?” He managed, looking at Laura’s neck, where her veins were running black, she was attempting to pull the pain away from him, he wondered how much pain she was actually siphoning off of him if his head was still swimming with the nauseating need to vomit.

Behind them, the voice of the beast, Roz, carried to him, “Almost three in the morning, going to assume you're little play date with Argent started a while ago.” She neared, and he watched, “Derek hasn’t seen us yet, we only hit town in the last hour, but from what I can smell, he’s upset, as are his betas - a male with an undercurrent of anger, a male that's skittish and sweet, and a female who reminds me of a thunderstorm. And Peter.” She mused. “They are searching, running the woods, your father, he’s at your house, I can already hear his heartbeat.”

“Laura you should howl to bring Derek and the others to my house.” Stiles muttered, letting his head finally lul against her shoulder. He felt the vibrations in her chest, the rumble of her flesh, as she tossed her head back and howled forcefully, it sounded like an alphas roar, and suddenly Stiles' heart felt heavy, because she was the one who was supposed to be the alpha. Behind them, he heard the familiar howls of Erica and Boyd, then two that he assumed to be Cora and Emmett, then something chilling, a combination of a blood curdling scream, and a feral howl - Roz. 

Everything about her made his skin crawl, and not in a good way.

The answering howl sounded equal parts confused and alarmed, as did the four that followed it, but each sounded in a closer location, and suddenly, Stiles realized they were running. He couldn’t or didn’t hear Scott’s familiar howl in the night, and something about that made his heart clench tighter in his chest. To his horror, Roz waltzed up to his house, dug out a key from somewhere in her pants, and opened the door. She took a careful step in, then held the door ajar. “I knew you're mother.” She offered as a way of explanation.

“Roz?” Noah looked partially shocked, then one hundred percent relieved, he was hugging her in a way that made Stiles want to scream, because honestly how had his angel of a mother liked the demon creature who had just ripped a man's heart out, literally, enough to give her a house key. “God, you look, you look like the same teenager I used to bust with Claudia, je-zus you and Clauds used to give Talia a run for her money, I swear she regretted the day she brought Claudia in.” 

Stiles gaped open-mouthed from Laura’s arms. “Noah, if you’d please head for the kitchen, in a moment we are going to be doing a lot of talking, and I should probably make your whiskey sour the way you like it before we get started.”

“That bad?” He whispered, then his eyes moved past her, to see a dead girl holding his son, who still had a knife handle sticking out of his shoulder, and two missing teenagers, as well as two who supposedly perished in a fire over half a decade ago teenagers. “Roz?”

“Kitchen, love.” She shoved at his shoulder, his eyes glancing hurriedly towards them, before he complied, and led them into the kitchen. “Laura put Stiles on the counter. I believe what I want is under the third floorboard to the left of the one that Noah…” Her voice trailed off as she tapped against the floor, finally hitting the right board and prying it up, until a book, and several things bound together were revealed. “Lovely.”

Laura whined, and suddenly Emmett and Cora had their hands on Stiles, holding him up, as Lydia and Jackson surged toward him. Jackson was a better friend than Scott, and that was starting to really hurt Stiles, Jackson stood, shuffled, until his back was to Stiles, and the other two wolves lowered Stiles chest into Jackson’s back, as Lydia placed a manicured hand on his thigh. Derek stood in the doorway, his eyes wide, and Peter behind him, the pair looking very much like they had just seen a ghost. “I forgive you, Peter.” Laura said, and just like that, the three were crashing into each other, which really was a mildly alarming but beautiful thing, Cora and Emmett joined the hug, as Roz shooed Lydia out of the way.

“Bend forward a bit, would you, blondie.” Isaac tumbled in, his body a little late on the uptake and glaring at Peter, he surged straight towards Erica and Boyd, who were looking a little better than Stiles. “Ah, the last of Derek’s turned wolves are here. Packs all here…” Stiles didn’t understand the next words that fell from her lips, they were latin and twisted funny against the scene he was blinking hard to understand, then he felt blinding pain, and scorching fire through his veins. He slumped harder into Jackson, and then the world went a little hazy, before someone completely turned out the lights.

☽♚♛♚☾

**Wales**

**1667**

Rozlyn Morgan was fourteen the first time her father took her out on his ship. Captain Henry Morgan was a strong man, and brave. She would have followed him anywhere, to the ends of the world. Her mother - Catherine Compton was one of the few women who had managed to hold Henry’s attention for longer than a day. 

“I have to make a long journey, my daughter.” He smiled warmly at her, his hair long curls black as night, tumbling down his shoulders, and his face weathered by many a storm at sea.

“When will I see you again?” She asked, as the ship sailed around the islands.

He looked across the sea, “I fear my child, this is the end of us.” He watched the waves as they split open in the path of the large ‘Oxford’. His eyes never meeting hers, as he gazed along the salt water he loved more than life itself. 

“Where are you going?” She demanded, as she turned to look at him, “And why do you forsake me?” Her voice held a pitch of danger and fear - never before had she felt so… abandoned.

“You're mother’s a witch.” His voice was distant. “I met a man in France, he was more than happy to meet someone of your… skill.” Henry turned sharply to look at her, “I am on my way to Spain - there is not a day that goes by that I don’t wish you were a man. We could take Cartagena together!” He ran a hand over his sword hilt and gave her a long look. “There is a man, Laurent, he is to take you to Paris, you are to go to court there, with or without your mother. I care not.” 

“Then I curse your ship - Henry Morgan I curse the day you experience true joy, may that day this ship sink below the surface of the very sea you love!” He was right, Rozlyn Morgan would never see her father again. Her mother died from a fever before Laurent arrived, she left for Paris in the winter, with the vampire leading her away. 

☽♚♛♚☾

When he woke up, there were a lot of things wrong. One, there was soft guitar sounds coming from the kitchen, and his father humming. Which was something out of a dream, and something that reminded him so harshly of his mother for a moment he couldn’t breathe. Then there was Lydia, curled up on his chest, and Erica on his legs. Across the floor he could see the Hales, Derek at the center, with Cora and Laura on either side, Emmett over his legs, and his head on Peter’s shoulder, the oldest wolf sort of arching over all their heads. Jackson, Boyd, and Isaac were an uncoordinated pile in the corner, tangled and hugging tight to each other, and Stiles couldn't even breathe at how right it felt to wake up like this, like all the puzzle pieces of his chaotic world had snapped silently in place.

The fingers dancing across the guitar were no doubt Roz’s since he couldn't find her in his immediate vision. His father’s voice danced across the threshold to him. “I owe you, you know, for being able to walk away from Claudia, for being able to let her have the normal life she wanted.” The music faltered, but only for a second. “It was hard on you, Roz, so hard, I have no clue how it works, how love could possibly be more for you guys, but I get it, now that you’ve sort of explained everything, except Stiles recent involvement and the teenage werewolves in my living room.”

“I told you, that's for Peter, Laura, Derek, and Stiles to tell. They were the ones who catalyzed this.” She hummed. “You know, all I ever wanted was to see my darling sing and smile, with you she was guaranteed that. With me, she would have died bloody. I’m not meant for normal, meant for this world, and almost everything I touch is tainted. Laura will be alive as long as I am, I had to split my soul to raise her from the dead, but Derek needed her back, Cora and Emmett deserve some sort of family.”

“So do you.” And he can see in his mind, his father embracing her, his father showering her with affection of some kind, even as his mind tries to wrap around what he has heard. Roz loved his mother, maybe more than a friend by the sounds of it, and Roz left so Noah could have a chance with her. Roz, it seemed, would be able to shine some light on his mother, and whatever creeptastic shit she had managed to pull from the floorboards the night before. “Stiles is awake, isn’t he, your eyebrow hitched.”

“Glad you know my face so well.”

“It hasn’t changed.”

“He’s awake, and probably has to pee. Wolves.” Her voice crackled like electricity on the end, and every wolf sort of shot up, Stiles grinned. “Let Stiles go to the bathroom, he’s been out for eighteen hours.” His heart thundered loudly. He went through the motions, washed his hands after, and found the whole pack, and his father in the kitchen. Well maybe not the whole pack, Scott and Allison were missing, but he was starting to think maybe they weren’t pack. 

“I understand why you didn’t tell me.” His father hugged him, not looking upset at all. “I probably would have kept this shit from you too.” Before Stiles can really think that through, Peter is talking, then Laura, and Derek, and finally he spills his part of the story, filling Noah in completely, the older man listening with an intense gaze, his whole body tilted forward, and his eyes meeting those of whoever is talking. “And Roz killed the man, Gerard Argent, who took you from the field?” He clarified. 

Stiles is too busy studying the woman on the counter, her legs look bare, but he would be willing to bet she has a pair of boxers on, her shirt is black, and short sleeve, tight to her frame, half her hair pulled up in some sort of messy bun the other half of her hair falling in cascades around her face, her wrist have heavy leather bracelets on them, with metal spikes, her eyes are darkened with eyeliner, and charcoal. She is the perfect gothic princess, his mother's guitar across her knees, her hands on the strings, and her left foot tucked under her right thigh, her right leg dangling in front of the cabinets, his dad is dangerously close to her.

“STILES!” Derek’s voice broke through to him, and by the look he was leveling in Stiles’ general direction, he’d probably said his name several times.

“What?” Stiles demanded, holding Derek’s somewhat heated gaze.

“Your dad asked if she killed Gerard, and if he was the one who took you?” Derek repeated, something a bit gentler in his voice.

Stiles blinked, “Yeah, to both.” He sighed. “Scott hasn’t come by has he?”

Erica and Boyd both look at the floor, Isaac ducked his head, Lydia clicked her tongue, Jackson looked like he wanted to eat his shoe, Derek visibly flinched, Peter pointedly found something on the ceiling to be very interested in. Finally Noah spoke, “No son, he’s been with Allison and the Argents. Chris found Gerards body, and since then, Allison has been a mess of sorts, and apparently, Scott hasn’t left her side. Melissa came by.” Noah knew it wasn’t enough, but he continued on. “Son, after everything, maybe you and Scott need a little break. I think this dysfunctional little swaray of people seem to be more inclined to save you, I mean Roz was only sniffing out Derek, but could smell his betas and your pain, and decided to save you. Derek, Peter, Isaac, Lydia, and Jackson all were searching for you, but Roz has a different nose.” 

“She ripped a man's heart out.” Stiles whispered, his face paling, “In front of me.”

She looked up, her eyes swimming with regret. “I am sorry for that, puppet.” She promised. “I only realized who you were off scent a moment after I’d already knocked him down, and my little Mischief, I couldn’t have stopped if I wanted to, how dare he touch a hair on the head of my beloved’s child.” Her body shook and her voice heated with hatred, her hands becoming clawed, and her eyes glinting silver. “That bastard and his idiotic need for species cleansing, wouldn’t know a good human if it bit him in the ass let alone a truly evil supernatural entity.” 

“Roz.” Noah patted her bare knee, then turned to look at Stiles. “Before I met your mom, she had a troubled youth, Talia Hale took her in, where she met Roz. The pair were inseparable, I understand now, that they should have been mates, but I was in love with Claudia too, and Roz, she left, she took off in the dead of night, leaving only a note for Claudia explaining that she loved her, and wanted to only see her smile, so she was going to leave, for the next couple years and let Claudia have a go at normal. But Roz was gone longer than a year or two, I assume Talia had something to do with that.” Peter nodded, his eyes darkening. “When she finally came back, you were two, and she adored you, Roz stayed with us for almost a year, before her heart made her leave again, the next time she came back you were eight, and Claudia’s disease had already stripped her of her memories of Roz. She kissed you goodbye, and told me she loved me, then disappeared, but every year on the anniversary of that day, she’d send money.”

Stiles felt his heart soften. “She could have driven herself crazy.” He looked at Derek, “Wolves don’t really handle rejection or separation well do they?”

“Talia never really saw me as a wolf.” Roz said after a moment, her voice both raw and bitter as an undercurrent of memories fought to drown her. “I was a witch, with a bad knack for trouble, who went and got herself bitten by a vampire. I wanted to die, that was why her grandmother bit me, I wanted to die, because being on earth and never getting to meet my love, to grow old, to have children, it was killing me.” She confessed. “But the universe likes to make my life a twisted joke. So instead of dying I came back some sort of bastardized abomination of both wolf and vampire, with a little bit of witch residue.” She frowned.

Peter reached for her, and wound a hand around her wrist. “Roz raised the babies of the pack, while the wolves were out changing the world, Roz raised me and Talia, but for some reason Talia never was fond of her, Roz was like a mom to me, since I wasn’t in line to be the alpha, I wasn’t as needed as Talia, who spent a lot of time with our mom, Meredith. She raised Derek, Cora, and Emmett. Most of Laura’s time was spent with Talia, but when Roz went to her, and asked permission to court Claudia, Talia refused and ordered she give Claudia a normal life. It tore Roz apart, Stiles, that’s why she left, and continued to leave.” 

The bitten wolves regarded her with careful eyes, finally Lydia moved to touch Roz, followed by Jackson, Isaac, Erica, and Boyd. All wrapping clawed hands around her somewhere. Stiles didn’t understand it, but he shuffled to hold onto the side of her neck, his slender fingers brushing over the raised flesh that he realized was probably where she was bitten the first time, as the Hale’s joined the touching fest, Noah wrapped a hand around her fingers against the guitar. “There is nothing wrong with you.” Stiles told her. “Thank you for loving my mom enough to let her love my dad.”

“You, little one, is what made it worth it.” She promised, tears crimson red leaking from her eyes. Stiles didn’t know who moved the guitar but suddenly he was wrapped up in a hug, that was so much like one his mother would have given him, he broke, sobbing into her arms, Boyd and Erica were within her grasp a moment later, and all three were crying. Derek pressed up against his back, a firm warmth spreading through his chest, as Derek encircled them all in a hug, then everyone was crowding around to hug, the tight and heated embrace of the wolves almost too much for Stiles.

He had no clue how long they stood like that, but when people finally started falling away, Noah cleared his throat. “You can’t return to the Hale house, and wherever else you’ve been lurking. I think it would be wise to clean the basement out, and you all sort of make that into a pack house.” All the eyes in the room landed on Noah. “I mean, if you want… no one would expect it, and well, I just got Roz back.” His eyes seemed to find hers over the crowd a smile turning up his lips, “Other than Stiles she’s the only thing alive that loved Claudia more than the whole world, moon, sun, and stars.”

“It’s a good idea.” Roz declared, “It would be safer than the other options, and it would keep Stiles safe.” Her gaze fixed on Derek, who nodded. “It’s settled then, I will start shopping online, Lydia and Isaac can help me, the rest of you mongrels clean out the basement, except Stiles - he is going into work with Noah today.”

“I am?” Stiles muttered.

Noah nodded. “We haven’t spent time together in a while.”

Stiles was pretty sure that wasn’t at all what needed to happen. He needed to pick Roz’s brain for everything she could remember about his mother, she gave him a soft smile. He might have changed his mind about her, a little, maybe she wasn’t a complete monster, then she had to go and press a gentle chaste kiss to his father’s temple. Now his mind was working on the fact - do survivors of traumas end up together? He was pretty sure that they both loved Claudia enough… shit, his dad might be hooking up with a vampire-wolf-witch thing.

“So.” Noah muttered, after two hours in the car, with literal radio silence from Stiles and nothing advantageous happening in the way of supernatural or crime in Beacon Hills.

“Dad. I grant you permission to frolic with Roz.” Stiles hated that his mouth didn’t ever seem to connect to his brain. Noah made a startled noise, and Stiles hit his head against the dash. “I just… I know that people with shared loss, they sort of… gravitate to each other, and Roz, she’s scary as fuck, but…”

Noah laughed, his whole body following it. “I dated her before I met your mom. Roz was fun, free, a little on the crazy side, and worth it, but Claudia, the moment she hit both our lives like a silent thunderstorm, we changed, Roz and I both started doing less dating and more, hanging out around the Hale house, I don’t think Roz ever thought of it as competition, she spent so long with the Hales, and Talia made it clear from almost go, that she wasn’t allowed to be that kind of happy. Roz would just light up… around both me and Claudia, like she was drawn to us, and us to her, she lived with us on and off once Claudia and I got more serious, she… Talia made Roz’s life a living hell, made her understand she wasn’t allowed to be happy, and I never understood why, until the fire.”

Stiles looked up at him, confused.

“Talia and Peter have a younger sister, Marly. She belonged to their father, John, but not to Meredith. It was never really talked about, and Talia jumped to conclusions, she was already the alpha then, I think, because Meredith was dead. Peter was always nice to Marly, but Talia ignored the child, Roz dotted on her, positively adored her, almost more than she had Peter, he didn’t mind, he was already almost a teenager, I think Talia always thought that her father was sleeping with Roz, and he might have been. I can’t see Meredith and Roz allowing that, Roz looked up to Meredith, even though Meredith was younger than her. Talia sort of hated Roz, all her life, I think, she always thought Roz was prettier than her, and she was, she always thought people paid Roz more attention, and Meredith did to a point - I didn’t understand it then, but I believe Meredith whispered to Roz, was because Roz had age, she’s pretty much immortal.” Noah tried to explain, but he sounded just as unsure of himself. 

“Roz is something.” Stiles agreed. “But Talia knew all the kids were raised by her, what happened to Marly.”

“She died in the flames. I don’t actually know how Roz coped with that, but she found Cora and Emmett in the wind, and carried them to Rio with her, where she had extended family, the vampire sort, but it kept them safe.” Noah sighed. “Thanks for being ok with me maybe dating a supernatural creature someday.” Noah laughed a little. “On a more serious note, you and I are here because we need to hunt down the remaining Hales.”

“Huh?” Stiles quirked an eyebrow.

“If Roz is right, trouble of the worst sort is coming. Something called an alpha pack. She didn't explain much to me, I think she and Peter need to talk to Derek about it first. However, Talia had a special hate for her brother too. Every time he mated, she found a way to ruin it. He has five children, none of which have the Hale last name, that we need to track down. They should all be in foster care. Their mother is dead.” Noah explained.

“Who killed their mom?” Stiles really shouldn't have asked because he already knew the answer.

“Talia.” Noah pointedly didn't look at his son. “There are a lot of things, Stiles, I did to protect Claudia and by extension Talia.” He frowned, his face twisted into a grimace of sorts. “Many things I've regretted over the years, but Talia murdering Corinne… that probably needed to happen. It wasn't like Talia got her hands bloody anyway. She ordered the death, and Roz carried it out, the obedient little hybrid. Of course back then I was told it was self defense. Now I know different.” Noah handed Stiles a folder. “Like I said, Five kids. The names are Malia, Sydney, Theo, Brett then LoraLei. They were all thrown into the system after birth. Malia is your age, Sydney is maybe ten months younger. Theo and Brett are twins, the same age as Cora and Emmett. LoraLei is probably twelve.”

“So we need to dig through the files of children in foster care until we find children that match and what?” Stiles sighed.

“And I'm going to petition for custody of them.” Noah declared. “You need siblings anyway.” 

Stiles groaned, “Dad…”

Noah didn't bother to look up or justify whatever he was doing. Instead he focused on his stack of reports and munched on the curly fries, that Stiles had not completely vetoed. It was some time later (thirty-seven minutes, not that Stiles was counting) when Noah made a thoughtful noise. “Found Theo.” He pulled the file from the others and pressed it to the dash, a blink later Roz was knocking on the window of the cruiser. 

Stiles would swear until his dying day that he didn't jump.

As Noah rolled the window down, Stiles looked her over, trick pants with the bottom halves removed, suspenders hanging over her hips, a t-shirt with He Man on the front of it that ended right above her belly button, and black vans on her feet, her long hair was sort of tumbling everywhere, and the leather brackets were on her wrist again. Her eyes were lined in black, but no other clearly defined makeup, her smile bright enough to make Hollywood jealous.

“Peter thinks he found Malia and Sydney. There was a car wreck a couple years ago. Two girls and their mother, the wreck was pretty messy and there was a lot of rain and a time gap from when it happened until you found it. They were the Tate girls.” She leaned forward on the cruiser's window seal and for a moment Stiles' mind played the scenario of her being a prostitute over, and how hilarious anyone looking around the street would find her. “So me, Jackson, and Isaac are going to go check it out. Peter didn't have any wolf children. They we're all coyotes.”

“Let me come with you.” Naoh started, then looked at Stiles. “And Stiles. We can help you look at least.”

“Afraid you'd ask that. We want to catch them in our evolved forms so someone has to watch our clothes. Part of this is me teaching Isaac his evolved form. Derek explained he was the only one who hadn't fully embraced their wolf aside from Scott. Everyone else is working on the kanima problem.” Roz explained, before stretching back up and whistling. Isaac emerged, trailed by a blonde wolf. In Isaac's hands were no doubt Jackson's clothes. “We can take the back.”

Jackson got the window seat, and promptly stuck his head out, Roz climbed in the middle, and Isaac settled in behind Noah, while Stiles and Noah gathered the files they'd been looking at and put them back in the cardboard box at Stiles feet. “So head out to the crash site?” Stiles tracked the way Noah's eyes found Roz's in the rear view.

“Yup.” She popped the P, and Stiles turned to more fully look at her. 

“I'm not scared of you.” He declared. Much like Derek, she growled low in her throat, but it sounded off in a different key, more animalistic than a human throat should be able to sound, without pulling her beta shift forward. “Ok, maybe I am a little.” Stiles swallowed quickly and whirled in his seat. The noise coming from Jackson sounded a lot like a dog trying to laugh, and Isaac was smirking. “I don't hate you.”

“Good.” She wiggled her fingers through the cage, brushing the back of his neck. “Because now that I'm home I don't want to leave again.” Stiles nodded he could understand that.

When Noah parked the cruiser it was at the top end of the preserve, far past where normal people would venture even on the more scenic tours of the trees and limited wildlife. “Everyone out. You two can work on those files here. Isaac and I are going to strip, so just pick up our clothes, when I come back out.” Jackson sank down obediently between Noah where he was leaned over the police cruiser and Stiles who was hunched forward on his elbows, his dad already spreading files open.

This time Noah checked his watch. It took every bit of an hour before the most deranged looking wolf he had ever seen emerged, followed by a blonde grey beast. Stiles took a careful step back, and Noah looked visibly pale. Roz's wolf form was thin, with literal bones showing through here or there, unlike her human appearance the hair was dark and matted, her body scared, and her eyes shimmering silver. 

“Ok, I'm scared.” Stiles squeaked as she neared, she dropped back on her haunches and snorted a bark. Jackson stood quickly and joined Isaac not far behind her, she gave Stiles a dubious look, then rounded on Noah.

“Don't stay gone too long.” He whispered, shifting forward to rub her ears. “Take care of these two.” She barked again before turning tail and charging into the forest. 

“Holy shit.” Stiles whispered. “I'll go grab their clothes.” He gathered up everything they had deposited and watched after the wolves ran, hard and fast into the underbrush.

Night fell, but they sussed out both Brett and Lorelei. Noah made the phone calls while they were in the preserve, not bothering to do much other work. He had climbed up the hood of the cruiser and was looking up at the stars when a howl sounded. Stiles jolted from his place on the ground. The moon light illuminated silver orbs as they neared, in her clawed hands two wiry thin coyotes, she had the scruffs of their necks as Jackson and Isaac followed still in their evolved form. 

Roz was pale naked flesh, the kind you got before death, if Stiles were pondering it, and her body covered in fresh bites and tears, she had a tight grip on both the coyotes, whose eyes were neon in the light. “Call Derek.” She snarled, low, just as Jackson and Isaac tipped their heads back and howled out loud across the blanketed sky. The coyotes weren’t holding still. “Get in the cruiser.” She ordered Noah, just as one turned and thore a chunk of meat out of her thigh, blood coating its snout, and pooling at her feet.

Jackson surged forward, and clipped the offending coyote, as Stiles scrambled into the car, and Noah slid in. The pair turned the high beams on, just as the other coyote sunk its teeth into Roz’s ankle. Isaac bit its neck, tugging fiercely, as a new howl echoed.

“Derek.” Stiles hummed, his face breaking into a smile.

Derek was in a beta shift, wearing only pants, when he skidded to a stop in front of Roz, her clawed hands covered in blood, and the new wounds draining her proverbially dry against the leaves. “MALIA! SYDNEY!” Derek’s alpha voice roared, causing both to still. “SHIFT NOW!” Their bodies shivered, and shook violently, as bones and muscles snapped out of place, tendons breaking, and finally realigning. 

Roz’s hold on their necks hadn’t stopped, instead, Derek moved to take one - Sydney Stiles thought, looking at the picture of her as a child, “Bring out some warm blankets, please, Noah - it’s hard to hold body temperatures from one form to another.” Roz’s voice was clipped, like she was still in pain. 

Stiles scrambled to help the one Derek was holding, just as Noah helped the other stand, ushering the girls into the back of the police cruiser, Derek caught Roz as she swayed. “Roz, honey?” Noah asked softly, her eyes glinted blood red, crimson against the night. 

“Get in the cruiser, all of you. She’s lost too much blood and needs to feed.” Derek muttered, shooing away both Isaac and Jackson, before shaking his body, his own form shifting. Everyone scrambled into the cop car just in time to watch Derek’s pants rip off him as his alpha form emerged, part Harry Potter and part Underworld, he made Stiles shiver, and he’d seen that form only once before, so if he pressed closer to the window, sue him.

Derek’s form twisted, grabbing Roz by her neck, and throwing her further into the forest just as her body was shifting, skin turning a dark grey, and lips red coated. “Nightmares for weeks.” Stiles whined, as he turned in his seat, his face suddenly licked by Isaac. “Dude, I know, he’s freaking terrifying enough without throwing people around - namely monsters like people who could eat us.”

“Right, ok. Sydney? Malia?” Noah turned in his own seat, and looked back at the girls, who were both silent, and eyeing Isaac and Jackson. 

“I’m Sydney.” The one behind Stiles finally said, her voice a little warbly from lack of use, “She’s Malia.” She jerked her head towards the other girl, and frowned. “How are you wolves?”

“You are a werecoyote.” Stiles offered. “They are werewolves. A vampire-wolf-witch thing just drug you from the woods and you caused her to lose too much blood so she and Derek are off on some murder spree right now.”

“Please tell me you are joking.” Noah muttered, as he started the car.

Stiles shrugged. “I don’t know what she eats.” 

☽♚♛♚☾

**May 3, 1977**

**Glen Capri Motel, California Desert**

“Alexander!” Roz felt her voice shaking. “OPEN THE DOOR I CAN HELP YOU!” She pounded harder. She could hear Meredith pacing back and forth, just outside of the hotel. She rolled her eyes, pressed her back to the door, and dropped to the floor, pressing her head against the door. “I know you think that alpha condemned you to death.” She tried, “But… Mer was trying to save you, you wouldn’t be alive right now! You were shot five times in the chest.”

She heard the sound of a gun being loaded. 

“Please, the code is outdated - I have lived for a long time, I can promise you that it’s not worth it.”

“Just go, monster.” Alexander shouted back at her.

She stood, intent to break the door off its hinges when she heard Meredith howl. She growled, “You're brother is here to kill you, sure you don’t want my help.”

“I’m already dead.” She heard the shotgun go off, and smelt the blood. She growled, and darted off, to meet Meredith.

☽♚♛♚☾

Roz apparently ate humans, but Derek assured them it was only evil ones, or ones that were dying of disease. He carried her in around six in the morning, both of them completely naked, and having missed a very alarming and tearful reunion between Peter and the girls. Both were also covered in blood, and smelled a lot like sewage.

“You stink.” Noah huffed as he ushered them both in.

“Derek decided to run through a swamp on the way home.” Roz complained from her position over his shoulder. “He dunked me in it head first.”

“In which form?” Stiles wondered aloud.

“We only just dropped out of our true forms, dear.” Roz patted his cheek, leaving a bloody smudge as Derek paused to leap down the stairs to the basement.

It was another thirty minutes before they both returned, thankfully dressed, and looking a little less like savages and a little more like respectable humans. Noah was drinking coffee, with Peter beside him, and the teenage wolves all crowded around. Malia had found a comfortable position next to Erica, resting her head on the blonde, while Sydney was right against Isaac, her head on his shoulder. Cora was the buffer between Sydney and Malia, while Emmett was lounging on Erica’s other side, and Lydia was camped on Isaac's other side, with Jackson squished between her and Boyd. Stiles smiled fondly from his seat on the counter as Laura wedged herself between Erica and Emmett. 

Roz promptly settled into the seat with Noah, and Derek joined Stiles on the counter. “The house next door is for sale.” Peter hummed. “We could buy it, and expand the basements into one large one, you know, for pack things.”

Noah snorted, “How long did it take you to convince the people next door to move. You’ve literally been here twenty-four hours.”

Peter made a noise, “I believe it was the large quantity of people coming in and out of your house yesterday, and whispers of the Sheriff's wayward son and his party friends, who have as of late been in the center of all illegal things in Beacon Hills.” Laura offered, just nudging her shoulder against Emmett’s. “Not to mention, we were up late last night, banging around, doing repairs down stairs.”

“Let me guess, it’ll be on the market in a day or two.”

“Hold on, I’m trying to eavesdrop.” Roz muttered against Noah’s shoulder, tilting her head, “They are on the phone with the realtor now.” She offered, eyes going silver as she listened harder. “Monday.”

“How can she hear further than wolves?” Erica quirked from her position.

Derek hummed, “She happens to be a unique case, the vampire in her is a bit… super strong in a couple regards. She had to be able to hear heartbeats for hundreds of miles, and she managed to eat regularly.”

“That is…” Stiles shivered. 

“It doesn't matter.” Peter assured them all. “Did we find my other children?”

“Yeah.” Noah dropped the three files in front of Peter. “I've made the appropriate calls in regards to getting them back.” He explained. “Any luck on the kanima?”

“No.” Derek huffed.

Roz tilted her head, before stealing Noah's coffee. “My loves we are looking at this wrong. Everyone Derek bit is in this room, right?” He nodded. “What about you, Peter?” He looked sheepish. “Let me see.” She was up before anyone had time to react, her clawed fingers sunk into the back of his neck, and her body frozen, mouth open in alarm. 

Inside Peter's mind, she could trace his fractured memories. Finally landing on the night he bit Scott. She followed him, she let the fractures guide her, until she landed on a pretty girl outside her house crying. The face of Chris Argent swam into view, then the girl dropped off her roof, heavy, before walking towards the woods. Peter lurked, watching until the girl ventured too close to the edge.

“Ohmygawd.” Roz hissed. “The daughter of Argent.” She yanked her claws out hard and leveled Peter a dubious look. “You bit her?!? Are you that much of a fool???”

“Allison?” Stiles groaned.

“Scott's mate?” Cora questioned.

Isaac stood confused. “What do we do with that?”

“Figure out who is controlling it, duh.” Lydia quirked.

“Cause that's going to be easy.” Jackson muttered.

Stiles was silent for a moment. “Danny is with Scott and Allison a lot. So is that Matt kid.”

“Danny isn't a monster.” Jackson snarled.

“Who the hell is Danny?” Roz demanded.

Derek huffed. “Someone worth turning.”

“Ok.” Noah sighed. “We have three more werecreatures joining us in the next couple hours. Derek is the alpha. I don't have a problem with you bringing Danny Maleahi into the fold. The kids had a shit life. But you let him have the choice. And for god sake take Jackson and Lydia with you. They all three know each other very well.” Noah pressed his face into Roz’s side, she patted his head affectionately. 

☽♚♛♚☾

**Beacon Hills, California**

**Early 1988**

“I encouraged your mother not to break bread with him.” Rozlyn Compton folded her arms over her chest, leaned against the heavy oak table in Talia Hale’s study.

“Was that before or after you fucked my father.” Talia seethed. “I didn’t ask your conference, nor do I need your permission. I am the alpha.”

Rozlyn gave her a sharp look, “That’s right, you're the alpha. And when that… _visionary_ lunatic gets here, you’ll regret inviting him and his kind into our home.” Roz shot back.

“PETER!” Talia screamed.

The almost fourteen year old barreled into the room. “Yeah, Talia?” He looked perplexed. 

“Take your nanny outside, I’m done with the help.” Talia shot her a dark look, even as Rozlyn let Peter lead her away. 

They made it to the edge of the forest, before Roz stopped them, she cupped Peter’s face in her hands, “Little pup, please, for the love of all that is holy, do not, I repeat, do not blindly follow your sister. Go get the car keys, we are going bowling tonight with Noah.”

“Awesome!” Peter took off excitedly, darting to grab the keys off the hook, and she watched with sadness, as the first of many cars arrived, Alpha’s, their seconds, and their Emissaries.

“Mark my word, wolf, you're making a mistake.” Rozlyn muttered under her breath, low enough only Alpha ears would pick it up, just as Peter reappeared.

☽♚♛♚☾

School was awful. But Erica and Boyd being back made things somewhat better. Scott the shit was pointedly avoiding him. Roz was enrolled, by Noah, as Rozlyn Stilinski - a cousin from the East. Cora, Emmett, and Laura took the last name Hawthorne and returned to high school. Malia and Sydney were destined to spend the next couple days _'learning to not kill everyone_ ’ classes taught by Peter and Derek (although Stiles wasn’t sure either of those men were qualified to teach _that_ ). Lydia and Jackson made a point to spend more time with Danny.

Things might have even been relatively normal, until Stiles noticed Matt noticing him and Roz. Roz had her arm slung around Stiles, whispering gaelic in his ear, it was a calming spell, something to focus his energies. Boyd, Erica, Emmet, Isaac, Cora, Laura and Roz we're all crammed into the lunch table with him. Danny, Jackson and Lydia joined them a second later. Stiles turned his head slightly, allowing Roz better access to his neck, which in retrospect was very trusting and very stupid. 

She hissed and drew back eyes slightly silver. “Mischief, bad.” She glowered at him. He shrugged, then leaned in until his lips brushed against her cheek.

“Matt hasn't stopped watching us since this morning. All of us. Especially me. Don't look.” Stiles whispered. Roz tilted slightly, kissing his lips softly, the whole table erupted in catcalls and whistles. The kiss caught Scott's attention, subsequently Allison and Matt's as well. They followed Scott as he stormed over, jerking Roz away, and really, she let him.

Scott hissed at her under his breath, “Who the fuck are you?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know.” She winked at Scott, her lips puckering up flirtatiously. “Dangerous.”

Stiles moved between them, “How about no WWE in the school cafeteria.” 

“Right.” Allison agreed, “There is a rave tonight, why don’t you guys meet Scott, Matt, and me there, we can… hang out and get to know the new faces.” Her eyes were lingering on Laura, like she registered something but wasn’t sure what. “And you know, exchange information.”

Roz made a thoughtful noise, then tilted her head, “That’s fine, we will be without Derek and Peter, but we will be there, consider me the acting… ring leader.” She ran a hand down Allison’s cheek, and Scott’s chest, laying her scent over them. Derek had tried to explain to Stiles what Roz smelt like, even the betas had attempted, but all he gathered was an undercurrent of grave soil, iron tinted blood, and deadly nightshade. 

Matt looked confused, or thoughtful, and tugged on Scott, until he and Allison dutifully followed Matt away. Danny took a deep breath, then looked at Roz, “I’m in. Whatever freaky shit Derek did to make Scott breathe normal, Erica’s seizures stop, Isaac lose his stutter, and Boyd actually speak, I’m in.” He looked pointedly between Jackson and Lydia. “You two, are you together or?”

“We are mates, but Peter thinks we are part of a triade, so we are waiting for our third.” Lydia offered up, like she was talking about the weather, the smile that flushed on Danny’s face made Stiles groan. 

Stiles dipped back into his spot at the table and looked very seriously at Danny. “You are on human detail with me tonight, ok? We might be squishy but we’ve got this, and these things.” He motioned around the table, “Are the creatures who highlight your nightmare reels? Especially Roz, who I’m so not ever talking about kissing again, because I think she and my dad might end up together.”

Roz snorted low in her throat. “If you're dad wanted the bite, maybe, but I’m not about to fall in love with a mortal, again.” She twirled her hair through her fingers. “I’ve got to head home, and work on something to keep the rest of you from going crazy with the loud sounds from the rave. I need your senses working not diluted by noise.” She stood, then turned to face Stiles, “Stay away from Matt. There is something off about his scent, he doesn’t even smell like food.”

Stiles nodded, and tried to push down the way she called Matt food, he leveled a look towards Danny, “She’s a meat eater.” He grumbled.

“More like a blood sucker.” Lydia whispered under her breath, making Erica and Isaac snort with laughter. Laura tried not to look like she thought it was funny, but both Emmett and Cora were snickering. “Like Dracula, Danny.”

His eyes widened. “A vampire?” He whispered, and looked at Jackson.

“More like vampire-wolf-witch.” Jackson offered, stirring his mashed potatoes around his plate, as if hoping they would taste better with each run of his fork through them. “Do you think Derek, Peter, or Noah would start packing our lunches if we asked?”

“What are you puppies in need of doggy bags?” Stiles muttered. “We just need to buy the supplies and pack our own lunches… or you know, buy the food stuff and I’ll pack our lunches.”

“I bet Peter would put little surprises in them, like when we were kids.” Cora grinned.

“I don’t know if you want his surprises these days.” Laura looked grave for a moment, then frowned. “How are we getting home if Roz took the car?”

“Fuck.” Stiles felt around his pockets, “That witch magicked my keys right out of my…” He groaned. “You guys need exercise, right? Danny and I can both just run with you?”

☽♚♛♚☾

**Beacon Hills, California**

**December 17th, 2004**

“The last time they were here, I said it was a bad idea, and it hasn’t changed.” Roz growled. 

“And like last time, it isn’t your call.” Talia shot back at her.

December in California should bring the hybrid happiness, it doesn’t. In fact it makes her largely regret returning home. Or, where her home had once been. With Claudia dead and all the pack she loved missing, there was no real home for her. Marly was off on a week camping trip in the woods with her kids, and had kindly taken Cora and Emmett. Laura was touring schools with her friends. 

Talia had called Roz home because they expected a swell of Alphas, seconds, and emissaries for the annual meeting with the Hunting Family that reigned over America - The Argent’s. 

“You are right, it isn’t my call.” She deadpanned, bored. “But, I implore you my oh great Alpha, my younger sister, my darling angel. Your mother was not one to make nice with enemies.” 

“They are no longer my enemies, immortal.” Talia snapped. 

Roz glowered at her, “And what do you command I do?”

“Act your part.” Talia snarled at her, eyes red and vicious. “Mother had you as her second, and I was blindly led by her to name you my second. You took a vow.”

“You replaced me with Peter.” She snarled, venom in her words, and eyes flashing black.

“Peter has been led astray, magic, the same brand you played the elements with for him and you're darling Marly when they were young.” Talia sounded back, advancing.

“Magic isn’t bad, Alpha.” Roz snapped, ducking away from Talia. “I will play your little games, but the blood this will undoubtedly bring, I wash from my hands.” Talia clawed her face, for good measure, the hybrid recoiled. “Just so you know, _Alpha_ , you are no alpha of mine.”

☽♚♛♚☾

Laura, the wonderful werewolf, carried Stiles after the first block, and they wove into the woods, Danny kept up for a long time, until he had to stop, his chest wheezing, and explained, “Lung condition.” Boyd stupped down enough for Danny to climb onto his back, then they really took off. Obviously the wolves had been curbing their power and speed to match the humans running with them. Stiles had to laugh with the wind pushing against his face, and Laura weaving in and out of trees like it was a game, and to some extent it probably was. They all stopped abruptly when Roz appeared, holding her hand up. Next to her, both Malia and Sydney were looking a little worn thin. 

“Social workers are dropping Theo, Brett, and Lori off at the moment, since these two are legally dead, and your father is working that out, Derek and Peter ordered I bring them out into the woods until the coast was clear. It seems like they have control underway, it’s the random bouts of aggression we are currently working on. But, they are on for going with us tonight, as will Theo and Brett if they handle first interactions well. Brett and Lori were in a home together, so…” She paused for a moment, “Peter is talking to the neighbors about buying the house before it goes on the market, and Derek is working on fixing dinner for everyone before the rave tonight.”

“Ok.” Stiles muttered from his placement on Laura’s back.

“And before I forget, I’ve arranged for the other creature from Rio, our beautiful Kira, to join us, the kitsune deserves a pack - even if foxes, coyotes, wolves, and vampires normally don’t run together. She is on the plane right now, Derek will pick her up from the airport tonight, with Noah. We’ve got a full house and are probably going to have to fight to enroll everyone in school. Brett, Theo, Lori and Kira shouldn’t be a problem, they all have transcripts.” Roz looked at Cora and Emmett.

“I am so glad Kira is going to come.” Emmett smiled. “She’s the best at electricity.”

“Shockingly good.” Cora snorted, making Roz raise an eyebrow that told Stiles she was over their shit, already.

“Ok, we got the all clear from Derek, come on.” She took off in a brisk run, faster than the wolves, flanked by Malia and Sydney. 

“Show off.” Danny muttered, as they wove through the dense forest, coming out behind Stiles’ house, the whole group tumbling undignified into the backyard, just as the neighbor and his wife looked up from whatever Peter was showing them. Peter raised an eyebrow, then turned his attention back towards the humans, with a shrug as if to say, _‘what can you do?’_.

☽♚♛♚☾

**Beacon Hills, California**

**December 19th, 2004.**

“Seek you're nephew.” Roz ran her hand over Peter’s shoulders, “His heart is heavy, pup.”

Peter looked up at her. “She marked you.” He ran his hand down the side of Roz’s face.

“She’ll mark all of us before it’s over, my love.” She kissed Peter’s temple.

Peter sighed, “I’ll seek my nephew, do you seek Noah?”

“As soon as I think he’s at work, yes. I can’t stand the thought of scaring Stiles.” She felt red tears threatening to fall from her eyelashes. 

-/-

Peter found Derek at school, he was reading, but his eyes were on Paige. “What are you staring at?” Derek was still learning how to blend in with humans.

“I’m not staring. I’m listening.” Derek grumbled at him. The younger boy was pointedly not looking at Peter.

“Am I distracting you?” Peter mocked, watching as Derek stared harder. 

Derek scoffed, “No, I've got laser-like focus.” Then he tilted his head slightly.

“You sure about that?” Peter flicked him in the face with a fry. 

“I hate you.” Derek grumbled, now completely at a loss for where the conversation was going.

Peter rolled his eyes, “No, you don't. You love me.” He tracked Derek’s gaze.

“Hate you.”

“You love me.” Peter offered. “Moreover, Roz loves you, and is worried about you, on a visceral level.” Peter waited for a long moment before he spoke again, “This drive you have to disobey Talia, to continue to chase a human, whose body is actively dying…” He shrugged, “Roz doesn’t want you hurt.”

“Roz is reacting because she lost Claudia.” Derek countered.

“You're not wrong, but…” Peter shrugged, “Why does she eat alone?”

“Are you only here for Roz?” Derek grumbled, now shoveling food into his mouth.

“I'm looking out for my favorite nephew, making sure no one has a crossbow aimed at your throat.” Peter wiggled his fingers at Derek, the younger boy glowering harder.

“I could get you banned from school grounds. You know that, right?” Derek tried for a determined face, but Peter only thought he looked constipated.

“No one would ban me from anywhere. I'm too good-looking.” Peter was smug.

“Roz told you that to make you feel better, Peter.” Derek shot back, almost full of vile.

“Doesn't she have any friends?” Peter wondered.

Derek looked away from Paige, then looked harshly at his lunch tray. “A few, but she likes to study during lunch.” He plucked at the burger, “And I kind of just don't think she likes my friends.”

Peter laughed at that, “No one should like your friends. They're a bunch of hormonal half-wits.” Peter grinned, when Derek shot him a vicious glare, “But that one over there she's perfect for you. And perfect combinations are rare in an imperfect world. It would worry me too, though. I'd probably be thinking about it all the time. I know Roz used to, when she first met Claudia.”

“Thinking about what?” Derek’s focus was now only on Peter. 

“Her finding out. You've thought that through, right? You know it always happens. One minute, you're in this blissful teen romance, and next, she sees fangs, glowing eyes, claws.” Peter flexed his fingers, clawless thankfully.

“She doesn't have to find out.” Derek muttered.

“But they always do, especially when they're perfect for you. There's really only one way to make sure you'll always be together.” Peter made sure Derek was hanging on his every word. “Turn her.”

-/-

“Rozlyn, how beautiful you are still!” Noah caught her in a tight hug. “I imagine you're here to see Stiles?” He wondered aloud.

Roz looked away from him. “No, I’m here to warn you. Talia has… business contracts meetings, and some of them might be a little more than violent.” 

Noah gave her a questioning look, “Roz?”

“Remember that time I told you that not everything could be explained. This falls under that.” Roz leaned against his desk, “Talia and I are usual on the outs.”

“She get your face?” Noah asked.

Roz looked at him, “You're aging, Noah, there are more frown lines around your face than ever, and you look tired, being a deputy was ill suiting, being a Sheriff might be even more… distracting.”

“You are worried about Stiles?” Noah whispered.

“I worry about the things I love.” She muttered.

  
  


☽♚♛♚☾

Roz just rolled her eyes, and continued moving around the house, a skin tight black corset on her chest, with a ridiculous multicolored tutu on her hips and clunky black combat boots. Everyone else was dressed for a Halloween party. “So the main part of the plan is to get Allison alone, right?” They all nodded. “This shouldn’t be too hard.” Peter mused, then frowned. “Why are you all looking skeptical.”

“We still don’t know who is controlling her.” Jackson said after a long moment. “And shits already been a little… sideways.”

“You can say that again.” Stiles muttered, glancing towards Roz. 

“Nothing happens to Stiles or Danny.” Noah snapped. “They are human and breakable and not bait. Do I make myself clear?”

“Crystal.” Lydia hummed, looking at her perfectly manicured nails. “I only want my Allison back.”

Malia and Sydney both looked confused, “Wait, we are going after the lizard monster in a rave, full of fragile humans. And the only two you care about, sheriff, are Danny and Stiles?”

“Right.” Noah nodded. “Pack.” He motioned to them all, “Danny is joining the pack, and Stiles is pack. Pack watches out for its more… squishy members. Even be careful with the werewolf and werecoyote ones,” He looked at Roz, “But extra careful with the squishy ones.” He poked Danny’s stomach and Stiles’ face for emphasis.

“Be extra careful with Danny.” Stiles muttered, his mind still going over the new information he had received earlier in the day. At age fourteen, Danny learned that his rib cage was weakened due to malformed cartilage and his lungs and heart were at risk of being crushed if his ribs ended up collapsing. As a result, he had surgery in which doctors installed two metal bars to support his ribs while the cartilage strengthened enough to go without, which left two diagonal scars running along the sides of his thorax. The problem was that at any given time, his ribs could collapse. It wasn’t safe for him to just be human, so Derek would give him the bite following the mission.

Derek raised an unimpressed eyebrow at Stiles, who shrugged. Derek looked around the room. “I’ve got an army of child soldiers, who still haven’t mastered the basics.” He groaned.

Laura rested a calming hand on his shoulder, “No, Derek, we have a pack, a family, that is learning and growing together, whatever happens happens, but our training, and our fighting styles… those are not nearly as important as the lives we are changing.”

“This is why you were supposed to be alpha.” Derek muttered, eyes glaring at Peter for a moment, he looked one hundred percent guilty as he ducked shamefully behind Noah, to avoid further scrutiny. “And the alpha power is hard to contain, obviously.”

“It’ll be fine, once you have a pack your wolf feels safe with.” She nuzzled his head, then looked around the room. “Are we all comfortable with the plan?” No one moved. “Stiles and Danny lay the mountain ash around the building, some of us waiting in the proverbial wings, others capture Allison with the drug that Noah picked up from Deaton, and sneak her to the hidden room, then Stiles interrogates her, while the rest of us suss out the master.”

“And Scott?” Danny asked, sheepishly, “What about him?”

“Distraction game.” Derek hummed. “Which I am relying on Malia and Roz to do. Scott wants to be his own pack, fine, but he needs to be able to withstand Roz and her… charms to do that.”

Noah raised an eyebrow. “Nothing statutory.”

“Ew.” Roz made a face, “The boy smells like vanilla ice cream, all pure and fluffy. No thank you.” She circled Noah, “I prefer a sturdy undercurrent of gunmetal and powder, with an afterglow of Jack Daniels and leather.” Noah blushed as she finished her circle, letting her clawed nails dance over his shoulders. “And, this has to be resolved BEFORE the alpha pack roll in.”

“The neighbors are going to close on the house with me tomorrow.” Peter chirped, letting his hand side down Roz’s spine. “So we can start the basement connection design.” She nodded. “Let’s go kidnap, Noah is Chris Argent on board?”

“For the most part, he’s noticed something off about Allison, he will not, and I quote, ‘hesitate to kill any Hale or Roz that attempts to murder his daughter’.”

“Lovely, remind him not to tease me with a good time.” Roz snorted. 

☽♚♛♚☾

**Rio**

**April 2005**

She couldn’t save her pack, not all of them. She could feel Laura and Derek across the bonds, safe in New York. She was paying for Peter’s extensive medical treatment. Cora and Emmett had only just started sleeping through the night, their nightmares often left her scratched up. Her haunting cousins were alarming, blood drinkers who were constantly looking for a meal. 

They had brought the kitsune in to her as food, but Roz instead had settled the little nine tails in with her pups, added a member to a pack she wasn’t sure even existed, and ate the words that Meredith had ingrained in her. “Pack is family first, little one, but there is no pack without an alpha, someone strong enough to hold everyone together. Someone strong enough to see past the creature and into the heart. Someone like you, Roz.” 

☽♚♛♚☾

The rave was loud, and packed with sweating bodies. It also cost a ridiculous amount to get in, at least Derek said it did as he huffed, and handed over his black credit card earlier in the day. Watching her stalk Scott through the crowd made Stiles skin crawl. Roz was a monster, a predator with her prey in sight, a vicious dog ready to rip a rabbits throat out. The way she circled Scott, before dancing towards him, her face stilted and eyes wide. As a vampire she could captivate and hold any hot blooded creatures attention. She had Scott's eyes locked on her frame as she moved to dance with him, hooking her fingers in his belt loop. 

Relatively speaking, Roz was drop dead gorgeous. The kind of pretty that would no doubt cause a lesser man to murder or steal. Anything and everything to catch her attention, and Scott was secluded from Matt and Allison who were miles away on the dance floor. Her arms encircled Scott's neck, dragging his face closer to hers, her red lips doing something that Stiles wasn't in the mood to watch.

He and Danny were up next, the pair circling Allison until Erica and Lydia slunk into Matt's space, grinding and dancing on him. “Can we talk?” Stiles shouted over the music. Allison nodded, Stiles and Danny led her through the crowd ensuring she could see Scott, now bracketed between Malia and Roz, the pair planting kisses on his neck and shoulders, Roz’s hands tangled in his hair, their hips crashing into each other.

Allison's eyes are puffy even as Danny cracked open the storage room door. Jackson, Sydney, and Isaac grabbed Allison, quickly tying her down and for a moment no one moved. “Allison you were bitten.” Danny started. “By a werewolf. By Peter Hale to be exact.” Silence for a long beat. “Instead of becoming a wolf, you became something else.”

“Everything you've been through has you doubting yourself. Which is why the wolf in you turned dark.” Stiles shifted on his feet. “The monster, the lizard beast both Scott and our pack has been hunting… the Kanima. It's you.” Her eyes widened with fear and then confusion. 

“We know Chris told you about the family secret.” Jackson sighed, “At least Roz is pretty sure that is what happened. Why you started paying more attention to us all.”

“What is wrong with you people!” Allison cried out, in fear and confusion. “I was not bit.”

Stiles sighed, leveled her a look. “You were bitten, and we know that you aren't afraid of water, whoever is controlling you is - Allison, who holds the puppet strings.”

Her head dropped and for a moment Stiles thought that was a sign of submission, then her head raised, and her eyes flashed. “I'm here. I'm right here with you.” 

Siles pushed Danny, Erica, Isaac, Sydney and Jackson behind him. “Allison, is that you?” Stiles asked, easily, now kneeling in front of her.

“Us. We are all here.” Allison responded, her head tucked to the side. 

“Assuming you are the master - those people, everyone you killed - why?” Stiles growled.

“They deserved it.” Not-Allison offered, she looked bored, and completely uninterested in the conversation. “They were all murderers.”

“Who did they kill?” Isaac asked, as he peeked over Stiles’ shoulder. 

“Me.” Not-Allison answered with a wave of her hair and a snarl. Outside the wolves could hear Roz and Malia arguing with Scott, they could hear Boyd and Derek talking with Chris and other hunters. Outside was so much louder than inside. The wolves stepped further away, and Stiles took his own step backward, similarly distancing himself from Not-Allison.

A ripple danced across Not-Allison, then her head cocked to the side, where her brown eyes were now green ones pierced forward, her skin seemed to shift, and her whole body went taunt before scales pushed their way out. “Shit, run!” Stiles ordered, shoving at the wolves. 

Outside in the chaos, Roz and Malia were searching for Scott, as Allison now fully formed into the Kanima emerged from the side room, her tail flicking out behind her. “That is completely unattractive.” Roz snarled. “Get everyone out of here, now.” She looked between Danny and Stiles. “I can keep that in check for a moment.”

Stiles watched as Roz flung herself upward with a Grace he was terrified of, then drug the wolves and Danny outside, they ran smack into Derek. “We lost Allison in the rave, the ketamine didn’t work very well, and now Roz is on her.”

Derek looked uncomfortable at that. “Roz can handle her.” He decided, as he tilted his head. “Has anyone seen Scott?” 

“We had him…” Malia frowned, “But Matt appeared and said they needed to talk, then Scott headed outside, and we stayed because Stiles’ heartbeat upticked.” 

Derek frowned, “I can hear his heart, it’s not beating right.”

Scott’s howl broke through the night. “Shit.” Erica whined.

“Stiles, someone is hurting Scott. You have to break the line for me to get to him.” Derek breathed, looking more or less unhappy with the situation.

“Now, Stiles.” Peter growled, just as he darted into the fray of people running out. The fire alarm was blaring, and Stiles wondered if that had something to do with Roz - not that it mattered all the wolves were flinging themselves back into the building, except Derek. 

“Go.” Stiles breathed, as he pushed the mountain ash out of the way with his foot. Derek darted into the darkness, just as a roar - the one he recognized as Roz’s sounded, he looked back towards the warehouse in time to see the Kanima scaling the building, it’s tail through Roz’s ribs, and the hybrid clawing against the scales - Peter and Laura were climbing up after her, the beast roaring its own stilted sort of noise.

Stiles felt his heartbeat flutter. 

This was a shit show.

The kanima disappeared with a flick of its tail, sending Roz free falling towards the ground. A new face with hands that seemed to spark, caught her. Laura and Peter joined Stiles back on the ground a moment later as the other wolves and Danny tumbled back out. “Only one dead.” Danny sighed.

Stiles chewed his bottom lip in frustration as more howls echoed, and Derek's form with Scott over his shoulder appeared. Behind them Matt was running with the Kanima alongside him. Roz was up, and moving then, flinging herself headlong into the lizard beast, and biting down into its flesh. Matt and Roz both screamed out as a series of explosions lit up the night, suddenly Chris Argent was there.

Stiles couldn't trace the next thirty minutes if his life depended on it. One minute Chris was screaming after the kanima and Matt, the next he was shoving everyone into the SUVs and heading them towards Deaton. Deaton didn’t look pleased with any of them. Roz was out cold, from the moment they tossed her into the SUV. When Derek got Scott to them he wasn't in any better condition then Roz. “I take it that a forward attack didn't work?” Deaton started. “Fuck.” The man paled. “Get her on the table. If you consider yourself her pack, even human, find some part of her and bite down. It'll jar the vampire into healing.”

“Bite her?” Noah echoed, and where had his father come from?

“That's barbaric.” Chris shuddered.

“Barbaric or not it works.” Deaton shrugged. “Save her so she can save Scott. She's the only one who can curve the poison out of him.” They all grew silent. Stiles moved first, with Derek and Emmett. Then everyone found a sort of clean expanse of flesh to sink their teeth into. Stiles went to her cheek, Emmett just below her ear, and Derek on her neck. “Make her bleed.” Deaton toned from behind them. Stiles shuffled to his left as Chris shoved in and bit down in her eyebrow.

When they all withdrew, Deaton split his palm open and poured his blood in her mouth, a beat later the room seemed to light up with electricity, then she was sitting upright snarling loud and proud, her eyes instantly made Stiles think about the demons from Supernatural and a shiver ran up his spine. 

“Roz take care of Scott please.” Stiles whispered.

Her head whipped around to his voice, cocked to the side then she slid off the stretcher, her body already healing where they had taken turns biting her. She looked over Scott, eyes searching for something, then jolted forward, biting between his pecs, ripping his flesh away then pushing her claws in until she drug out what looked like a canima claw, before slitting her own palm open and drizzling the blood into his open chest cavity. 

Scott woke up almost an hour later. The whole hour Roz seemed to vibrate almost completely out of her skin, like the room was alive and actively irritating her. Maybe it was? Stiles never could read the vampire witch wolf. What Stiles knew for sure was that both Peter and Noah kept a hand on her at all times. “We lost Allison.” Erica had explained to Deaton. “The ketamine wasn't enough.” The veterinarian frowned, hard. “Roz was holding her own until Stiles broke the barrier for Derek to get to Scott.” 

“Why were you alone with Matt?” Derek demanded.

“He said we needed to talk.” Scott's voice was rough and tousled as all the heads turned toward him. 

Roz raised an unimpressed eyebrow. “So you went with him?”

“To talk about Allison?” Scott tried. “He said that there were some things he noticed that we're off about her?” 

“How did you get out of the Mountain Ash?” Derek demanded.

“The powder on the ground? Matt moved it then pushed it back, said it was important.” Scott sighed. “Then he was on me, punching me and he put that in me.” He pointed at the claw that Roz was still holding, one of the only ones not affected by the kanima venom.

Lydia raised an eyebrow as Jackson shrugged beside them, the pair looking utterly uninterested in going on around them. Danny had folded his arms over his chest, with Cora and the new face - Kira both posted beside him. Laura had Emmett under one arm and Boyd under the other, Erica was pressed against him and Isaac was pacing. Peter, Roz and Noah we're tucked tight together. Beyond them Malia, Sydney, Theo, Brett and Lorilee we're all crowded together with wide eyes. Chris Argent and Deaton, we're crowded together next to the desk. 

“Aside from Matt fucking our plans.” Stiles sighed. “We have other issues.”

“Like what?” Chris Argent asked bored. 

Stiles met his stare. “Allison is still the kanima. Matt is obviously controlling her. We have no way to stop or slow her down unless we make more Roz's. We also don't know how to even turn her full human or wolf… but going to bed with hunters, Derek?”

“Yeah, I know.” Derek frowned. “We appreciate you, Chris. But I can't imagine Victoria being into her daughter being a true-blue monster nor can I imagine the council being that into a werewolf leading a hunting family.”

Chris shrugged. “I know. I don't know what to do about Vic, but…” He looked around the room. “I would rather have her alive and a monster than dead and cold.” Chris offered. “If that means you're little fucking pack, then so be it.”

“We are not that little.” Derek grumbled, his chest rumbling, and his eyes flashed red, “We are mighty.” Derek declared, hands over his chest, as he leaned against Stiles shoulder, the younger boy looked up at Derek and grinned. 

☽♚♛♚☾

**Beacon Hills, California**

**November, 2006**

“Are you sure you have it?” Matt Daehler asked Isaac Lahey as he followed him home from little league practice.

“Dude, I have the comic.” Isaac countered. It was already a little chilly in Beacon Hills, winter headed for them, and the nights were getting shorter. 

After the boys had a snack and read over the comic that Isaac did have, the noise from outside drew their attention. Below Isaac’s window Camden, his older brother, and every member of the Swim Team were splashing around. By the sounds of the party it was clear they had just won State. Matt could hear the roar of Coach Lahey as he toasted his players.

“You should go.” Isaac whispered, looking down at his hands. “They are going to drink.”

Matt slipped out the backdoor, with the intent to slide around the party, but someone jostled him, sending the little boy into the water, where he thrashed wildly. Each time he fought to the surface, he could see them laughing, could hear Isaac screaming for someone - anyone to save him. He drifted into the darkness. 

He woke to the Coach, glaring at him. “Stupid kid, who doesn't know how to swim. Get the hell out of here.” Matt ran, a little boy died in the pool, the thing that came out… was forever changed. 

☽♚♛♚☾

Mighty was a good word for the pack on most days of the week. Derek and Stiles, we're both unamused with the plan at hand, but Roz had a point. The kanima only seemed to attack them when provoked. So, going about business as normal seemed like the best plausible idea. It also meant that the buddy system had to be invoked.

Ideally, they had to drown the kanima. The only one of them strong enough to hold IT under was Roz. But she couldn't do it one hundred percent by herself. She needed bait (how that became Stiles and Derek neither the alpha or the spark knew for sure). Half the pack was to stay normal. The other half was to be in the proverbial wings, waiting.

The only kink was that Scott was determined to prove that Allison wasn't the Kanima. Any other time in Stiles life and he would have thought Scott was too precious for the world. As it was, he wasn't above letting Roz drown Scott too. Since the nightmare of the Rave, Derek had bitten Danny who turned fairly easily and had a good grasp on his inner wolf. Admittedly he wasn't as in control as Lydia (Stiles vividly imagined Lydia in her mind with the red wolf on a short leash), but not everyone could be perfect. 

It shouldn’t have caught Roz by surprise, but it did, when Stiles caught her arm, “Can we talk, where the wolves can’t hear us?”

“Sure, kid.” She ruffled his hair. “Follow me.” Stiles compiled, as she tossed him his own keys. “You know how to drive to the outside of town.” She quirked. “Der, we will be back.” She whispered, so low, that Stiles might have missed it if he wasn’t so focused on her. 

In the end they found themselves parked just outside of the Beacon Hills City Limits, the sign behind them. For a long time, neither of them spoke, finally Roz looked over at him, “Claudia knew.” She offered. “She knew what I was, what the Hale’s were, what we are. She never wanted to be like us, she just wanted to be with us.” She gave him a long moment, “You remind me of your mother. Which is why I know you need to say something, that maybe no one but me or Derek would understand - but he’s busy training, and you're father’s in a bit of trouble at the station with the recent spike of crimes, right?”

Stiles nodded. A few more moments passed, as even the sky turned orange, and hazy purple. “You know when you're drowning, you don't actually inhale until right before you black out. It's called voluntary apnea.” He paused to inhale, his whole body taunt. “It's like no matter how much you're freaking out, the instinct to not let any water in is so strong that you won't open your mouth until you feel like your head's exploding. But then when you finally do let it in, that's when it stops hurting. It's not scary anymore.” He frowned, “It's - it's actually kind of peaceful.”

“Are you saying that nine year old Matt was at peace?” She hummed - Lydia and Isaac had dug the research up, actually - Isaac melded into Lydia and Jackson with ease, but not in a mate sort of way, if anything he was more like Jackson’s brother. Matt, they had discovered, had been nearly drowned as a youth, by the very people he was targeting with his lizard-shaped Allison-timebomb. 

Stiles glowered, “I don’t feel sorry for him. I personally want to help you kill him.”

“No you don’t. That’s something you and Scott that failwolf share, neither of you want to shed innocent blood, but by all means, go on.” She waved her hand, and waited. “Can you feel sorry for the nine - year - old Matt who drowned?”

“Just because a bunch of dumbasses dragged him into a pool when he couldn't swim doesn't really give him the right to go off killing them one by one. And by the way, my dad told me that they found a bunch of pictures of Allison on Matt's computer. And not just of her though. I mean, he photoshopped himself into these pictures. Stuff like them holding hands and kissing. You know, like he built this whole fake relationship. So yeah, maybe drowning when he was nine years old was what sent him off the rails, but the dude is definitely riding the crazy train.” Stiles grumbled, he had twisted in his seat, drawn a leg up under his frame and was looking at her like the monster she was, sometimes Roz wondered if he saw any reflection of himself in her.

“I’m glad Noah’s back where he belongs.” Roz settled on, unsure of the shaky ground they were standing on. Things had been messed up lately - probably even before she arrived in Beacon Hills - the town had always been a hellmouth out for blood and vengeance. An old curse on the land gave way to new clashes.

Stiles tilted to play with his lacrosse gear, absentmindedly like he hadn’t even noticed. It made the pain of regret resonate in Roz’s heart, she missed Claudia. “Yeah.” Stiles muttered, not meeting her gaze. “Yeah, but I still feel like there’s something wrong between us.” He paused, “Like a tension rope when we talk - I thought at first it was because of you guys… but I think it’s him rethinking everything ‘normal’ he has ever known.” Stiles paused, “The tension with Scott is worse.”

“It’s been a week Stiles, since… the Rave.” She paused, “Have you talked to him?

“No.” Stiles shook his head, tears threatening to fall. “We’ve… I… No, not really. He has his own problems to deal with. He has the Allison issue, I mean - she’s the freaking Kanima and he’s acting like she isn’t, plus dad keeps attempting to pressure him into telling Melissa, which by the way I think we should, but Scott is adamant that we can’t, because I don’t know? He wants to protect her? And then there is the whole, Chris and Victoria problem. I know Chris said he’d rather have Allison alive and in our pack, but… Scott isn’t pack, and two omega wolves around sounds worse than a Kanima controlled by a sociopath and a failwolf as you called him.” Stiles could feel the words running away from him. 

“Has he tried to talk to Allison? Do you know? Has any of the pack tried?” Roz asked, softly. She wasn’t as privy to the teenage aspects, with all the kids now at home she had more of a guard duty - keeping Malia and Sydney in check while in school, she couldn’t be held accountable for all of the other puppies and Stiles roaming the halls. 

“Lydia.” Stiles hummed, “Lydia has tried to talk to her.” Stiles offered it, his hands still working over his lacrosse gear. “But I don’t think Allison has let her, and that might be her choice, ya know? We dropped a huge freaking bomb on her.”

Roz considered it for a moment, “She knew something was wrong.”

“Huh?” Stiles grumbled.

“Ally seems like a smart girl - being the Kanima, she would have woken up missing time, confused and disoriented, she would have turned to one of her parents…” Her eyes widened, “Maybe Matt isn’t the master?”

“It doesn’t matter, until someone kills him, we can’t know.” Stiles grumbled. “Jackson has been on my ass all week at school, he’s an overgrown menace protecting me, what’s there to save me from - Gerard is dead.”

“Victoria is still in play. The Kanima. Matt. The pending damnation of the Alpha pack. We have no clue where Kate Argent is.” She ticked the information off on her fingers, eying him wearily. “And what about you, Stiles? Feeling some anxiety about that championship game tomorrow night?” 

“Why would you ask me that? Ah. Uh, no. I - I never actually play.” Stiles dropped the mitt he had been working on. “Roz, I need to know that the plan - when we actually do it, I need to know that it is going to work.”

She reached across the middle console and took his hands in hers. “The only monster ever known to defeat a Kanima in hand to hand combat is a vampire, Stiles. Don’t worry.” She kissed his temple, and he was decidedly not going to worry.

☽♚♛♚☾

**Beacon Hills, California**

**December 23, 2004**

“Derek.” Roz whispered, as she climbed into the root cellar. “Derek, darling?”

She felt tears on her face as she saw him sprawled against the roots, with Paige in his arms, black blood pouring down her face and weeping from the bite.

“I didn’t mean to.” Derek whispered, his breath catching. She could tell he was crying, his body turned in over itself, trying to protect her dying form. Trying to stop whatever pain there was left on this Earth for Paige.

“Oh, pup, I know.” Roz dropped into the dirt next to him. “Let me shoulder this burden with you.”

Derek’s eyes were tightly closed, even as Paige’s breaths became labored. Derek felt the cold touch of Roz against his flesh, her hand moved over his. “Roz.” He choked.

“There is no honor in this death, Derek, grant the girl who has your heart mercy.” Roz whispered against his ear, she closed her eyes, red tears trailing her face, and felt the snap of Paige’s spine where her fingers were intertwined with Derek’s.

For a long time neither of them moved, when Derek finally did, he looked at her with bright blue eyes, and she looked at him with her own set of blue hues. “I made a mistake.”

“Yes, you did.” Roz nodded. “But we all make mistakes.” Roz kissed his temple, and made a slow move, “Let me handle this, Derek. Wait here for me.”

Roz scooped Paige’s cooling body into her arms, and headed out. When she was done making it look like an animal had killed Paige, she went back for Derek. She carried the crying pup home, and briefed Talia on what had happened, once he was tucked into bed with Cora and Emmet.

-/-

“I told you to seek him because his heart was unstable!” Roz snarled, and shoved Peter, “Not encourage him to… to… ask another pack to bite her!” 

“It wasn’t my idea!” Peter tried.

Roz glowered, “I can see your lies, Peter!” She slammed him furiously against a tree. “This, this is ending. I am not… this town is going to kill me!” Then she flew, for the first time in a very long time.

☽♚♛♚☾

It's a late night conversation that Stiles is one hundred percent sure he isn’t supposed to hear. It’s been a week and a half and the Kanima hasn’t reared its head, but Allison has been at school. He knows that Roz can smell him, and probably Derek - they are way too keyed into his scent not to, and that should bother him, but it doesn’t.

From what Stiles has gathered it’s a meeting of the leaders - Noah, Chris, Roz, Derek, and Peter. The fact that Chris Argent is in the house makes his skin crawl, but for now he ignores it and settles on something more important, like listening. It’s Peter’s voice first, and he smiles in spite of himself - the creeper wolf isn’t so bad these days, he has the same streak of Stiles understanding that Roz and Derek have. “There is a myth that you can cure a werewolf simply by calling out it’s Christian name.”

Argent makes a scoffing noise, “It’s just a myth.”

“Sometimes myths and legends bear a hint of truth. Our name is a symbol of who we are. The kanima has no identity. That's why it doesn't seek a pack.” Roz is older than the table combined, and Stiles wonders if she remembers everything she’s ever read. 

“It seeks a master.” Noah toned, his voice earnest.

“And who else grows up with no pack? No identity?” Peter demanded.

“A child who never quite fit in, and who always felt like her family was lying to her.” Roz sounded. “A child who although loved, felt like an orphan.”

“By all rights, I’m amazed it wasn’t Jackson.” Derek grumbled. 

“I believe you all, ok. But how the hell do we save my daughter because right now, her identity is disappearing beneath a reptilian skin and we need to bring her back.” Chris grumbled, a clink at the table made Stiles wonder who was drinking and what.

“Vampires can kill Kanima.” Peter offered, “But you want your child alive, and Noah wants Roz to survive. The only way is through Allison’s heart.”

“Heart?” Derek sounded confused. “She lost her grandfather, and doesn’t believe any of her friends. For all we know Matt has convinced her that Scott doesn’t even love her.”

“Derek, that’s not true.” Roz huffed. “What is the one thing you can’t overcome?”

“True love.” Noah whispered, and it sounded deafening to Stiles.

“There is one person who can reach her.” Peter continued. 

“Scott.” Peter concluded. “Roz, you're best ally has always been your magic - you can weave a fable out of thin air; Chris, you trust your guns; Noah you trust your gut and your belief in right and wrong. For me it was once love, then vengeance, now… I… it doesn’t matter.” Peter sighed, Stiles wondered why the chair shuffled against the floor, then, “Your best ally has always been anger, Derek, but what you lack most is a heart. That's why you've always known that you need Scott more than anyone. And even somebody as burned and dead on the inside as me knows better than to underestimate the simple yet undeniable power of human love.”

“So, we need Scott, more than anything - if we want her to come out human.” Chris clarified.

“She won’t be a human.” Roz challenged. “There is another way, just in case. That Peter and I found.”

“Roz.” Peter’s voice was hard, and Stiles wondered why. “It’s a foolish idea.”

“Tell me.” Derek demanded, in a voice that sent chills down Stiles spine.

“Invite Stiles to the table, if he gets any closer to the door, his anxiety will make me hurl.” Roz sounded amused, as Noah opened the door and gave Stiles a highly unimpressed look. “Sit, pup.” She toned, shoving the child into the seat she had just climbed out of, she rounded the table and climbed into Noah’s waiting arms. “It’s a spell, it would drain what was left of the witch magic in me.”

“What would that leave you as? Would your human part be gone?” Stiles asked, inched forward, body pitched uncomfortably close to Peter, to avoid touching Chris Argent.

“It would leave me a true hybrid in every sense of the word - one part wolf, one part vampire, and one part Kanima. I might need a master.” She bit her bottom lip, pulling blood and let it drip from her chin. “Noah, if we have to go with plan C… could you be my master?” Her voice was hopeful and easy.

The table sounded off, in a chorus of disagreements, before Stiles finally stood. “I will be your master, if it comes to that.” She nodded at him. “Has anyone told Chris plan A?”

“Plan A? I thought that was Scott?” Chris blinked.

Derek sighed, “Scott is Plan B.” Then he looked at Stiles, “Stiles has a ‘foolproof’ plan for A, so he didn’t want us to come up with backups.” Derek didn’t look like he believed in the foolproof nature of the plan. “Actually Peter here has helped develop all the plans.”

“I like A the best.” Peter chimed. “It involves drowning.” 

“What?” Chris yelped.

“If you wake the puppies I will eat you.” Roz snarled low. “Stiles, explain.”

Stiles inhaled, “We are going to let the Kanima come after one of us.” He paused, “While it’s tracking the prey - probably me and Derek - we are going to lure it to the school pool, and then Roz is going to drown it. Cleansing the monster, allowing it to be born again.” Stiles explained. “Roz can hold the Kanima down, but we might need back up, so all the wolves, Kira, coyotes, dad, you in theory - would be waiting in the wings to descend if things get dicey.”

“What does Scott think?” Chris demanded.

“Scott doesn’t know.” Derek gritted out. “About any of this, he refuses to see her as the Kanima.”

☽♚♛♚☾

Matt’s dead body was found in the lake just south of the Hale house in the preserve. No one talked about it, but by Monday at school, it was clear Allison was distraught. Her eyes were wide in alarm, and she looked everywhere without really seeing. Had the situation not been so deadly, Stiles might have found it funny.

“I think when Matt died, the Kanima saw.” Lydia whispered, “Allison didn’t know he was dead, but when Mr. Carter announced it, her face seized up, like she was freaked out about something.”

Jackson nodded, his chin over Roz’s shoulder, and Danny beside them. “The game is tonight, we seriously can’t be that worried.”

“Peter and I are going to check it out.” Roz explained, “Before the game. Noah said he got a really messed up feeling, like something was off.”

“Ok, but you will be at the game, right?” Stiles wagged a finger at Roz. “Coach said I was starting today.”

“Jesus, kid, yes.” She promised. “Boyd, keep and eye on the wild ones.” It was her term of endearment for Malia and Sydney, both snorted in annoyance, but smiled as she walked off. 

“Going somewhere?” Victoria Argent asked, a snide smile on her face, as Roz made it to the door. 

She rolled her eyes, “Wouldn’t you like to know.” 

Victoria grabbed her arm, and jerked, “Which one of you freaks is the Kanima?” She growled, but her heartbeat sounded off.

“Wouldn’t you like to know.” She hissed, jerking out of her grip and shoving around her. “Hale pack, get away from Victoria, find Scott - she’s the master. I think.”

☽♚♛♚☾

How was this his life? Stiles grunted, as Derek grabbed his shoulder, “RUN!” And started to drag him away, he’d ran through a messy conflict in the school parking lot - his father had shielded Melissa and was probably grumbling about Stiles being late, but the plan was shot to shit - and Victoria had stabbed Peter through the heart, the blade piercing through him and into Kira. Stiles had skirted it all, aware that both had bigger things to worry about. 

The Kanima, however, reached them, as they hit the school’s pool room, a swipe of green tail made Derek freeze. “Shit, shit.” He hissed.

“Derek! You're neck!” Stiles attempted to help him stand, but the wolf was already starting to crumble. “Hey, come on.” He managed to support both their weight, but it wasn’t easy, “Where is it? Can you see it?” Stiles demanded, still clutching wildly at a wolf who couldn’t protect him.

“I can smell it.” Derek huffed. “I’m trying to pull Roz, but…”

Stiles pulled his phone out, and speed dialed Lydia, “Please hurry, get in place. Please.” 

“Call Scott!” Derek demanded. “Stiles, ah…” Derek’s body slumped more against Stiles, the pair slipping down closer to the concrete floor. 

“Where did it go? Can you see it? Did you see it?” Stiles demanded, his fingertips numbly moving across the touch screen as he attempted to call his best friend. Distantly he heard the sounds he associated with Roz. 

“No.” Derek whimpered, clutching more closely at Stiles. 

Scott’s phone went straight to voicemail. “Okay, maybe it took off.” Stiles could feel the lie in his heart, and his faked hopefulness.

“Maybe not.” Derek grunted as claws tore into his chest, knocking both him and Stiles into the pool, Stiles’ phone landing against the concrete. In the distance the chorus of wolf howls that made Stiles’ heart soar sounded, he was managing to hold him and Derek up, but he didn’t know how much longer he could do that.

When they got closer to the pool's edge, the Kanima would swipe at them. 

The only place they were safe was in almost ten feet of water. “Okay.” Stiles breathed, treading water, “Okay. I don’t think I can do this much longer.” Stiles sounded winded. 

“No, no, no.” Derek adamantly shook his head, “Don't even think about it.” Derek ordered, “Do not let me go.”

“Derek, would you just trust me this once? I need the phone to call Scott, plan A is obviously out.” Against the outer wall something seemed to explode.

Derek felt fear ripple through him, he was a wolf, and he could heal, but he didn’t know if wolves could come back from drowning. “No.”

Stiles growled, frustrated, “I'm the one keeping you alive, okay, have you noticed that?” He was noticeably winded, and looking a little therbred.

“Yeah. And when the paralysis wears off, who is gonna be able to fight that thing, you or me? I need you to survive, Stiles. You need me to survive, which is why you are not letting me go. Stiles!” Derek almost shouted his name, as Stiles let him go.

“I am coming right back.” Stiles promised, unsure if he heard it or not, Derek was already sinking under the water. Stiles rushed, using his reserved energy to get to the phone. Roz’s howl and scream pierced the air not far away. He called Scott. “Scott!”

Scott on the other end of the line sounded frustrated, “I can't talk right now.” The call disconnected, Stiles screamed in frustration and dropped the phone into the water, before turning and diving back down to Derek, he grabbed the wolf under his armpits, and hauled him back up. When they both broke the surface, Derek took in lungfuls of air.

“Tell me you got him.”

Before Stiles could answer, the door of the pool room burst open, and Roz swept in. The Kanima was on her, instantly, it’s tail slicing at her, Stiles screamed - more because this form of Roz was even more terrifying than the one from the night they found Malia and Sydney - she had wings twisted with bones showing through, she had several arrows in her back, and her face had been cut. 

Roz didn’t give the beast time to react, before growling - the inhuman rumble more like a roar, and charging the Kanima. They collided in midair, just as Stiles had the idea to move him and Derek further away. Roz used her wings to push into the concrete on either side of the pool - her wingspan could have probably gone out more, but Stiles couldn’t be bothered to worry about that.

With her wings holding her in place, she dug her claws into the Kanima’s chest, and wrapped her legs around the Kanima’s middle, it’s tail punctured through her back, and pushed through her ribs under her heart, coiling upward, and sinking back into her shoulder, but it didn’t stop Roz, her eyes completely black as she pushed the beast further underwater.

Stiles drug Derek further away from the creatures flailing limbs. Laura and Emmet were in the pool in a blink, moving to help shoulder Derek’s weight, as other wolves pooled in, all clambering forward to pull the Kanima under. Kira was supporting Peter, with Noah’s help, while every werecreature in their pack gouged at the beast.

Victoria and Chris appeared - Victoria with a golden sword of some sort in hand, she lunged, cutting deep into Roz’s left wing - the vampire let out a blood curdling scream, just as Theo and Brett lunged at Victoria, each grappling with her, Noah had raised his gun, unsure of what to do, and Chris let out a shaky exhale. Victoria fired two shots, wolfsbane bullets hitting both Theo and Brett. Laura growled, low and harsh, just as Victoria scrambled forward to stab Roz again, Chris made it to his wife before Laura, the gunshot echoed off the walls as Victoria fell in a pool of inky red blood and chlorine, her body hit the water, the Kanima had stopped fighting under Roz. 

For a blink no one moved, then Roz seemed to hover in mid-air. “Everyone out of the water.” Peter ordered. “The Kanima isn’t dead, it’s saving its energy. Plan C!” He called. It was a mad dash, then Noah yanking Stiles out of the water, as Danny and Jackson hauled Derek out, the other wolves did their best to get out without disrupting Roz. In the stillness, Chris crept away from the pool, to stand by Peter, moved to support the man. 

“Scott is safe, Roz - he… hunters attacked him, but I put most of them down. He… He was looking for Allison, Melissa with him.” Chris paused, “If you can’t free her, at least be merciful.”

The eyes that met Chris’ were not the inky black of the vampire, nor the golden hue of the werewolf, instead they were something unyieldingly pearl white. “The witch.” Derek hissed, an undercurrent of fear running through them all. Kira, stepped back, the ripple followed, stepping even further from the water.

Roz cocked her head, just as the tail started to twist again, the Kanima’s claws sinking more into her chest, the back legs, clawed feet like a gargoyles aiming for her skeletal like wings. Roz opened her mouth, blood poured from it, as a cough left her body, then she started to talk. “Et accipere impiíssime, da mihi cor tuum. Et ut monstrum, liberate animum tuum.” She growled, as blood started to run from her nose, “Et accipere impiíssime, da mihi cor tuum.” Blood was leaking so freely from her mouth it made Stiles huff out a cry, “Et ut monstrum, liberabo animam tuam. Et accipere impiíssime, da mihi laborem tuum.”

The lights above them cracked one by one, popping and sending glass down like rain, the windows followed suit, and the pool itself seemed to revolt, water crashing out of it, and rolling, no one moved, as if suspended in place, the walls of water raised high above the ledges of the pool, before dropping back in. When the churning water stopped, Allison was floating in the middle of the pool, not far from her Roz was face down in the water, her wings covered in green scales, and her body starting to sink.

“ROZ!” Stiles flung himself into the water just as Chris shouted, “ALLISON!” And dove for his daughter. Laura helped Stiles haul Roz out, as Lydia helped Chris with Allison, the girl's eyes flickering neon blue.

“She lost too much blood.” Laura whispered to Stiles.

The boy was shivering, tears falling from his face, “How can I help?”

Chris was there, suddenly, slicing his palm open, and making a fist, he let the blood run straight into her mouth. “She needs more blood, NOAH!” 

In a blink, Noah had followed suit, and was letting his blood drip against her elongated fangs. “It won’t be enough.” Derek wheezed, he was able to move his fingers now. “She needs… more than that, she needs an artery.”

Her eyes fluttered, for a moment, then Stiles shook her, “You don’t get to die, you horrible creature, until you tell me about my mom!” He shoved his wrist into her mouth, and pressed up until her fangs impaled his vein. It was like a light had switched on, she grabbed his wrist, and pulled it closer, curling around it, and sucked hard.

“Don’t drink him dry!” Derek screamed.

“Laura, when Stiles’ heart sounds different, less like a rabbit, pull her off, and let one of the other humans have a go.” Peter grumbled, before collapsing.

“We need to get out of here.” Chris started, but the door burst open, and Scott poured in. Allison was in Lydia and Jackson’s arms, sobbing. Melissa followed her son, wide eyed. “We can explain this, Melissa, just not here.”

“Can we move her with her wings out?” Stiles whispered, “Lydia come here, she’s only talking in Latin. Or I think the spell was Latin.”

Lydia with Allison clinging to her arm, and Jackson trailing, the other wolves and Kira were making their way towards Roz now, too. “Posuit alis tuis auferat.” Lydia tried, “Put your wings up!” She screamed.

Roz looked past Stiles, up at Derek, who nodded, she folded her body more in, the bones and meaty flesh of her wings folding until they disappeared along her spine. “Stiles can you hold her up?” Derek muttered, as he flexed his fingers, Stiles shook his head, and yelped when Derek picked them both up. “We need to get out of here, now. Everyone - woods, unless you're human. Scott, we can explain later.”

Allison stopped Derek, and bared her neck. “I submit to you, Derek.” She whispered, “You saved me, you're second saved me. Is she ok?”

Derek sniffed her quickly, “I dunno, let’s move.”

When the dust settled - Scott, Melissa, Noah, and Chris were left standing by the poolside. “What happened to Victoria’s body?” Noah asked, carefully.

“It must have been the blood sacrifice she used for that spell.” Chris guessed, then ran a hand down his face. “Roz Compton is crazy.” He sighed, “But she saved Allison.”

“WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON!?!” Melissa shouted, her whole face squished up in fear. Scott looked between Noah and Chris, the wheels turning in his mind, before he turned his body, and inhaled, finding a scent, he took off running into the darkness. 

“Mel, Chris and I can explain, but right now we need to get out of here.” Noah suggested. “The police force let me go today, and I’d rather not be charged with murder.” 

“I can help you get back on. Victoria made a complaint against you.” Chris huffed. “But she’s suddenly decided to leave me.” It wasn’t until they were seated around the table, in the middle of the Stinski kitchen, with Roz still pale, and Stiles being pried from her, that Chris broke and started crying, even as he pressed his wrist into her mouth, the hungry monster moaned around his blood as it dribbled down her chin. 

“Melissa.” Noah sighed. “Shit, Stiles, get the chessboard would you?” 

Stiles looked a little woozy. “I got it, Mr. S.” Isaac appeared, holding it with a smile. “Not all of the pups are done healing - those hunters… they didn’t do us any favors. There are none left, that I know of.” He looked pointedly at Chris.

“They are all gone.” Chris assured him. “Allison is pack, I think, and I would like to be pack.” 

“What was that sword?” Stiles demanded. 

“The golden sword of the Archangel Gabriel.” Peter huffed, he leaned against the fridge, and Melissa although confused was digging a series of bullets out of him. “It is the only blade that can kill a death dealer, the breed of vampire that Roz is… was?” He didn’t sound sure at the end. “Go see the board.” Peter huffed at them.

Melissa stood and looked at Stiles, expectantly. “Ok. So…” He frowned. “Tonight you saw a lot of things you probably can’t explain and definitely don’t understand.”

“Stiles, I have seen a lot of things I can’t explain in this town.” She ran a tired hand over her jeans. “Tonight I saw things out of horror films.”

“True.” Stiles nodded, then sighed. “Ok, so this is the game board.” He motioned. “All the pieces are magnetic, but they are where they need to be at this moment.” He continued. “Derek is the alpha - werewolf, so he’s on the King, see all the pink sticky notes are supernatural creatures.” Melissa noticed that most of the board were supernatural creatures. Chris pulled away from Roz, who looked a little less ashy, just as Noah offered his wrist to her, she nosed against it before biting down. “Roz is on the Queen.” He motioned to the girl on the table, with blood smeared against her face and frame, scales ripping and dancing over her skin.

“The purple.” Derek growled, in a grunt, “Is our enemies, Hunters - like Chris and Allison, Matt when he was alive, Victoria, Gerard…” He sighed, “The dead have been removed from the board, their pieces tucked away in the bottom of the board. Names and death dates on them.”

Melissa frowned. “Ok, and the pawns are… werewolves?”

Stiles ignored her. “My name is on the Bishop beside Derek, because I will someday be the pack emissary, right Roz?” She didn’t respond. “Peter is on Rook beside me, and Laura is the Knight on my side. Next to Roz, on the Bishop is Alan Deaton - the old Hale pack emissary who is not useful at all. My father is the knight on her side, and Jackson is on her rook.” He paused. “Kira, Malia, Sydney, Brett, Lorilee, Theo, Emmet, Boyd, Erica, Danny, Cora, Lydia… They are pawns.” 

“What about Scott?” Melissa demanded.

Derek snorted, Roz pulled off Noah. “Scott is the yellow pawn off to himself, too stupid to join the pack, and too proud to admit he was wrong.” She licked her lips, and looked around them. “Call Deaton, I need him to check me out, and I think Allison and Chris can get new colors, maybe add Melissa to the board.” 

“Ok, so… how did this happen?” Melissa wondered, even as Theo appeared, helping Roz off the table and into the basement, Derek and Isaac followed, Peter tumbling after them. 

“Cowards.” Stiles hissed. So he told them all about sneaking into the woods the night Laura’s bottom half had been found, how Scott had been bitten, how they had figured it out, how Gerard had kidnapped him after the game only a month ago, how Noah had orchestrated adopting the Hale’s that belonged to Peter, how Roz was the only thing other than Derek that were holding them together.

“What’s an alpha pack?” Melissa asked.

Stiles shrugged, “Apparently what it sounds like. A pack of alphas.”

“But… you said a pack had one alpha, betas, and human members.” She looked accusingly at Chris, “How can there be a pack of alphas?”

“It’s not completely unheard of.” Chris sighed, “It’s led by one alpha, one who is more powerful than the rest, his name is Deucalion, and we want no part of him if we can avoid it.”

“We can’t.” Stiles grumbled. “Roz and Peter are pretty sure that they are going to show up and test Derek, which is why we needed to get the Kanima out of the way before they got here, if we have a strong pack, we shouldn’t have anything to worry about.” Stiles yawned. “Can I go to the puppy pile now?” 

Noah laughed, “Go on, son.” 

Stiles left the chessboard, and ambled down the stairs. 

Melissa sighed, hard. “So, this is all real.” Then she looked at the chessboard, “And we are all players in a supernatural game that we can’t win?”

“We can win.” Chris deadpanned. “We just have to work a little harder. Roz… Roz didn’t have to save Allison, she was more than strong enough to drown not only the Kanima but Allison in that pool, but she saved her. We don’t know how Roz is going to be, or what she is going to be…” 

“She was already a hybrid - part wolf and part vampire.” Noah explained. “You’ll have to ask a Hale about that, I don’t know.”

“She was a teenager with us, Noah!” Melissa cried out, her face still wearing shock and concern. “She dated you before introducing you to Claudia!” She cried out again, this time tears on her face, “She… she was never human?”

“Never.” Noah confirmed. “I believe Claudia knew.” 

Chris looked perplexed for a moment, “Claudia was pack, Noah - Talia had to send information of pack members to the hunters council every ten years, she counted Claudia as pack, but she only ever declared Roz as pack-adjacent.”

“Deep seated issues between the two of them - Talia and Roz.” Noah offered, his voice hard, and his head swimming. 

“Roz… she… she had wings and she drinks blood.” Melissa grumbled. “And Derek mentioned showing me wolves tomorrow, what does that mean!”

Chris and Noah shared an exasperated sigh. “Mel, why don’t you go to bed, ok? You can take the guest bedroom, it’s got your favorite blanket on it. Chris the couch is yours, I’ll get you some pillows and a blanket, I’m headed to bed.” He watched Melissa climb the stairs before getting into the hall closet and getting a blanket out for Chris, and throwing a pillow missing its case at him. 

Roz peaked out, from the basement. “All the werecreatures, Kira, and Stiles are fine, probably going to sleep it off for a while. Scott and Allison made up, I think? And Scott might actually be a Hale wolf now.” She beamed. “Can I sleep up here.”

“Why?” Noah asked, cautious.

“The heartbeats are more amplified.” She hung her head, “I can’t mute my senses after feeding, I need one heart to focus on. Normally it’s Peter, or Derek, but they are currently at the bottom of the puppy pile - Peter almost died, and Derek just wants to keep hugging and scenting everyone.” She bit her bottom lip, pulling blood, and looked at her feet. “I can go back down… you all must be… I’m a monster.” Red tears dripped from her thick eyelashes.

“Roz.” Noah stepped into her space and hugged her, “Let’s go to bed, honey.” He steered her up the steps, and looked back at Chris one last time, the man growled before disappearing somewhere.

“We need to sort out Chris.”

Rozlyn found him on the back porch, it was a little thing, only three steps to the grass, but it had been something Claudia had been determined to have - Roz remembered how much it meant to her. “Chris?” Her voice was soft and patient. “Wanna talk?” He looked up from his position on the steps, for being one of the ‘adults’ he was curled in on himself like a child. She dropped down next to him, and wrapped an arm around him. “I am sorry that Victoria died, she was a damn good woman.” Her voice sounded small. 

“Welcome to the widows club.” Noah settled near them. “It doesn’t get better. But Allison is alive.” He rested against the top post of the stairs. Melissa and Derek joined them a beat later, Melissa dropping to Chris’s other side, and Derek dropping down next to Noah.

“Chris, this hurt, inside of you, it’s going to be there for a very long time. It’s been almost 300 years for me and I still can’t imagine going to Paris - even with everything changed, there is too much Laurent there, too much hurt. He wove love around me, and then he turned a child.” Chris made a sharp noise. “The one thing - the one thing I always wanted to have a child of my own, and he took that idea and twisted it.” She let out a shaky inhale. “It's luck, these days that vampires are practically extinct. I haven’t met another one in the last 80 years.” She looked toward the night sky. “I wish we could have had this talk sooner.”

“What happened?” Chris whispered, “To the child.”

Roz hung her head next to him, “His name was Christophe. Maybe that’s why until Allison you were my prefered Argent.” She bumped shoulders with him. “He was four. Do you know why the high council never sanctioned vampire children?” Chris shook his head no. “Their bodies, although dead, have an insatiable need to feed. Although they aren’t growing - its a metabalizism flaw, and one that probably wouldn’t have been an issue - but Christophe was so damn hungry, Laurent couldn’t keep food in him.”

Derek made a sort of horrified noise, and Melissa looked up at the stars, while Noah inched forward, Peter had shuffled out, to sit beside Derek, eyes wide. “The pups are all asleep.” He whispered, Roz nodded.

“I… there was a Cathedral celebration, as Death Dealers, we can go out in the sun.” Chris watched how her eyes grew distant and hazy, red tears threatened to fall. “He killed three men, they turned, and I… I killed them, with the help of a family you probably know well - the Van Helsings, it’s how I got my scar, here.” She pointed to a long cut deep across her collar bones. “I wasn’t a fledgling anymore, but I wasn’t as old as Laurant. It took three days to take out the ripples, and then I went after Laurant. Bled him dry.” She looked up to the stars, “The night sky… the moon was so full it looked like it was going to burst.” She whined a little in her throat. 

Chris looked at her, “Death follows you, it’s the type of vampire you are.” Chris sighed, “It’s believed by most people, that you're kind of vampires are harbingers of death.”

“I think Lydia can keep that title, wolf or not, she’s a banshee.” Derek whispered.

Chris frowned, “I met Victoria through our fathers. The pair of us had been engaged since we were little. It wasn’t a marriage out of love, but we eventually found our own version of love somewhere around the time Allison was three.” Tears began to flow down his face. “She was a good stand in matriarch, and a good mother. She was my best friend, and loyal to a Code that no one bothers to honor anymore.” 

“You do.” Noah offered. “One man can make a difference.” Noah assured him. 

“The hunters that used to serve us are all gone.” Chris muttered. His heart started to shatter even more. “I mean I could train you and Mel.”

“You could train all of us.” Roz suggested. As the night sky continued to hue, darker and stars sprinkled. Chris huffed out a sigh with tears against his cheek and placed his head on her shoulder. “Use that pain, darling. Use it to help us win.” She offered just as a shooting star shot across the night sky.

  
  


☽♚♛♚☾

Melissa had to do a double take when she woke up the next morning. The kitchen was flooded with humans, er, supernatural creatures that she had literally dug copious amounts of bullets out of the night before, who had been stabbed repetitively - for god sakes’ Peter and Kira were ran through with a long sword. All of them were cooking. “Shh.” Derek hissed, “Scott, stop that!” He teased as Scott snuggled more into Allison. “Don’t wake the…”

“One adult is awake.” Melissa grinned. “Chris is probably going to be up a moment, Roz is up with Noah.” Stiles frowned at that but handed Melissa a cup of coffee. “Thank you.” She looked over Stiles, noticing that he was slightly off balance how he still didn't seem to be able to move his arm completely in sync with the rest of his body.

The front door opened to reveal Roz, in a Beacon Hills Sheriff's department t-shirt and a pair of boxers Stiles recognized as his own. Under one arm she was holding what looked like a newspaper, under the other she had a flaming ball of… human? The fireball was looking less ablaze and more like a shaking human. A few steps behind another flame was walking, looking a little more resigned. 

“Uhm, Roz?” Melissa coughed. A blink later Noah with a shotgun raised, was standing on the stairs, and Chris with two pistols in hand had appeared over the edge of the couch, both watching with wide eyes as she continued to shove into the house.

“Felt them last night.” Roz growled. “Chris, please tell the class what they are.”

“They are here for you.” Peter muttered eyes wide. “Which means you lost either the wolf or human.”

“I'm more of a vampire than I was before. I'd wager half vampire, a fourth wolf, an eighth human witch, and an eighth kanima. These two are Hellhounds. Sworn protectors of Vampires. I'm the last death dealer, or so they seem to think. This little fireball can't hold his human shift, could you get Isaac.” Roz looked tired, worn.

“Why?” Stiles demanded. “He, Theo and Brett are still sleeping.”

“Stiles.” Derek growled in a warning. “Don't question the Queen.” The whole room looked at Derek wide eyed. Peter made an aborted noise before howling. His sons would know to come, and Isaac would follow.

Roz, the beast, had turned to whisper to the flames. “It's ok, Cam.” She promised. “Jordan shift please.” The room watched as the flames behind her turned into a tan human with the same wolf-like features they were used to, then he was completely human. Lydia and Jackson made a rumble in unison, and made to move, but Roz stopped them. Stiles was still hurt, his eyes looking between Derek and Roz. Neither had ever been that short with him.

Isaac sniffed the air, looking at the burning beast in question then was running. The whole group took a sharp breath. Roz released the flaming creature she was holding as Isaac collided with it, where a flame had stood (Stiles had been sure Isaac was going to burn) a man now stood who looked a lot like Isaac, but older. The room let out a collective breath. “Jordan Parrish and Camden Lahey. Hellhounds.” She motioned to them and smiled. 

Stiles felt something like fear run down his spine as Derek stalked forward. He was already wolfed out into the underworld Harry Potter monster hybrid, he reached but Laura caught his wrist and Lorilee tugged him to her side. Derek stalked forward and let out a growl, “Submit.” Camden raised his head and bared his neck, Jordan followed. Derek scented them both and bit over their collar bones. When he stepped back, he was a naked human. “Stiles.” He growled, then reached, and tugged Stiles into a heated embrace. “I'm sorry, I was afraid of what Roz was doing, I'm sorry.” Instinctively she swooped in on them both, and hugged Stiles from behind.

Noah raised an eyebrow but shrugged, he was obviously handling this better than Melissa, who Peter was attempting to show the basement too. Chris was trailing behind still slightly confused, as the other wolves, coyotes, and Kira we're all cooking. “We've connected the two houses, no offense Chris I won't be giving you a tour of the emergency exits.” Peter chuckled darkly at that and continued down the stairs.

“So, the house was finalized?” Noah asked Laura who seemed like the only one in a position to talk. 

Laura snorted. “Yup. Are you ok?”

“I'm happy.” Noah whispered. “This house is starting to feel like home again. It hasn't. In a long time.” He feels more than sees Roz perk up, her arms lazily wrapped around his middle. “Stiles, why don't you dress our new family members and our leader, huh?” He feels Roz's chilled temple through his shirt, and for the first time in a long time, he feels Claudia - like she's there, a steady current woven around him tight.

Breakfast is a haphazard and messy affair. Derek orders the humans to the table, then promptly releases “Ever creature for itself!” After the humans have piled their plates full. Allison makes a grab for the last piece of bacon just as Roz does and for a moment the whole room is tense. Roz offers her a soft smile before breaking it in half and giving Allison the larger half. It's not perfect, they've got a long way to go, but Stiles is counting it as progress.

Chris’ cell phone ringing breaks the easy reprieve, and reminds everyone that no one really gets a break in Beacon Hills - Gerard had come for Derek. Just because he wanted to finish what Kate started, but everyone at the table paled even the Hellhounds who Lydia and Danny had mercifully caught up, when Chris put the receiver down on speaker phone. “Kate?”

“Dad's dead!” She shouted, Derek made a jerking motion, but found Stiles and Allison both clinging to him. “And you didn't even FUCKING call me.” There is hurt in there somewhere, but it's laughable. Tangible. Lost in the hate that she is, that most of the table feels for her.

“It's only been a month.” Chris responds, his tone flat. “Didn't know how to track you down. Victoria's gone, too.” His pain is real, for his wife. Or at least Noah thinks it is because Roz and Melissa both reach for his hand, thiers linking over the pulse point of his wrist. It's a move to ground a person. “To be honest it's been liberating, Kate. I have a load of free time with Allison. I'm making friends with the locals.” He paused. “Even have a treaty with the local pack. Just handled a kanima problem.”

Allison tensed as the word Kanima bounced around, Scott was holding her from behind while she clung like a rag doll to Derek. Stiles had practically clambered into Derek's lap and Jackson was on his other side with a firm hand wrapped around his upper arm. 

“I wanna come play with your… friends.” Kate sings songs. That does elicit a growl but not from Derek. From Roz, it's echoed almost in harmony by the new faces. Both Jordan and Camden looked a little hot under the collar of their borrowed clothes.

“Kate. I know what you and dad attempted to do to the Hale pack. You failed, and I want no part in some bastardized holy war. There is no winner. Only innocent blood to be spilt.” Chris sounded more like a predator than Stiles had ever heard. 

“Too bad you feel that way, big brother. I'm already here.” With that the line went dead.

Roz stood, her eyes dancing through a litany of monsters. Silver orbs, bright yellow, lizard like ones, to solid black, and then to neon blue. “I'll kill her, skin her alive, bathe in her entrails. I'll eat her heart, suck out her eyeballs, drain her fucking dry.” The hatred rolling off of Roz has everyone shifting uncomfortably. Except Derek, his eyes lined with blood and hatred. 

“Together.” He growled. “We kill her together.”

Scott didn’t look at all into the notion of murder, but before he can doubt the plan, Roz has his face in one hand and Allison's in the other. “Neither of you were made by Derek. By default this is not your war. But let me show you…” She whispered. “Let me show you how it feels to burn.” She's a whirl of motion, clawed hands slipping into their necks, and a scream on her lips that sounded more like Lydia's than anyone else's.

☽♚♛♚☾

Scott and Allison were screaming when she finally released them, before anyone could think to stop her, she was out the door, and running. Noah and Peter didn't think, not really, before scrambling out the door after her. Stiles doesn’t know how he feels about any of it, or what to do. Derek places a firm hand on both Scott and Allison, “Whatever she showed you, it's yours to keep.” Derek hummed. “She gave you part of her memories - don’t let that be in vain.”

“I am so sorry.” Allison recovered first, flung herself at the nearest Hales - Derek and Cora, wrapped around them both and sobbed. “What she did - what Kate did…” It’s broken off, and muted, her pain, even as Scott turns to reach blindly for Laura and Emmett the pair ready as he tangles around them, Stiles is lost, even as Boyd and Erica huddle closer to him. 

The house is a lot bigger, now, but it feels a lot emptier without Creeperwolf, Roz, and his father. Chris Argent looked troubled, and Melissa, who'd been the only one attempting a normal life outside of the pack and school, was leveling them all a look. “There is nothing to be done, not right now. Everyone that is enrolled in school needs to go to school. Chris, Derek, you both mentioned wanting to see Deaton - well he’s on his way here, and I have to go to work.” She folded her arms over her chest, “Normally Peter would accompany me, but since he's handling Roz - Cam, Jordan do you think you could hang out around work?”

“Of course, Momma McCall.” Camden winked at her, before grabbing Jordan’s arm. “Your favorite spicy wolves are ready to roll.” And what has Stiles’ life even become that he finds that hilarious. 

“Scott, Allison - stay close to the pack at school today, it’s dangerous on your own.” Derek manages, untangling himself - he’s looking pointedly at Boyd and Lydia, the pair nodding their understanding, before Derek is looming over Stiles. “You are staying home.” Stiles must look like he wanted to ask why, because Derek follows it up with, “Deaton knows about sparks, and this is the first time since he patched us up after the Rave we’ve had a chance to get you and him together. Chris and I can protect you.” Derek’s voice softened a little at the end, almost pleading.

“Ok, sourwolf.” Stiles whispered, “But Argent and I are not going to be snuggle buddies.” The spell, the one Roz had woven around them with her sudden departure, one that smelled sour of dread and death, lifts as the pack giggles and snorts around him. He tries not to think about how much he trusts Roz - who still scares the hell out of him, and Peter - recently resurrected asshole werewolf, to keep watchful eyes on his father, but he also knows they both have some sort of affection toward Noah. He’s caught them both watching him with those eyes.

He has caught a similar look and gaze from Derek aimed at him on more than one occasion, which sets his stomach alive with butterflies and worries. 

Melissa hands out packed lunches for everyone - making sure to show Chris where the ones for him, Stiles, Noah, Derek, Peter and Roz are - Roz has a bag of AB blood waiting for her in the fridge, and although nothing about this is normal (really, it’s starting to feel like one big Addams family knock off) it feels right, Stiles feels settled, and it's not until the house is almost completely empty, Chris in the shower and Derek reading on the couch, that he realized his panic attacks are virtually non existent now. 

He’s never alone, not since the night with Gerard. 

The wolves, his father, the coyotes, Kira the Kitsune, Roz, hell - everyone has woven a tight thread of connections around him, lighting up like neurons firing across his brain, each one its own bright color, and its own significant bond, Scott and Allison aside, he knows they would die for him, not just Derek and Roz (who he concedes both make sense, one is an alpha and responsible for him to some degree, the other a monster who loved his mother enough to let her go), not just his father (default job), and not just Scott. Even Jackson would go to battle for Stiles, and that thought is almost overwhelming.

“Stiles, stop thinking so loudly.” Derek huffed, over his book, and looked up raising an eyebrow. “Roz is fine, you're dad is fine, Peter is fine.” Stiles believes him, and settles in next to him to wait on Deaton - the cryptic emissary of doom.

☽♚♛♚☾

Peter slowed down enough to keep up with Noah, the pair walking through the preserve. “You smell her, yet?” Noah asked.

“I am amazed at how fast you accepted this.” Peter grumbled, “She came this way.” He turned them slightly to the left.

Noah followed, “There was always something off about your family, probably would have figured it out eventually. God, though… What did she do to Scott and Allison?”

Peter stopped them, “It’s called linking.” He frowned, “Strong wolves can use their claws to share thoughts, memories, pull them from other people's brains.” He raised his hand tentatively, and brushed his fingers against Noah’s spinal column, where it met his shaggy blonde hair. “Roz can do it, and taught me to do it, when Talia wouldn’t. Talia thought it was a power meant only for the alpha. Roz never saw herself as anything but equal to every member of the pack. Hiding information or witholding things wasn’t something she was interested in.”

Noah shivered as Peter raked his nails against his neck, looked at the man next to him and offered a sly smile. “You and I were thick as thieves once, Peter. With Roz in the middle of it.”

“Then Talia had Roz kill my mate, and you met Claudia.” Peter grumbled, letting his clawed hand curl around Noah’s wrist, his fingertips against the man's pulse point. “Now, before we hash that out, let’s just-”

He was cut off by a roar, one deep enough it reverberated through the woods and seemed to make the trees themselves quake with fear, sent the birds scrambling from the trees, and made Noah’s skin crawl. Then the gunshots started. “Shit.” Noah hissed, “Is that Roz?”

Peter gave him a look that he interpreted as ‘ _who the hell else would it be, idiot_ ’, before the wolf was running full speed ahead, Noah took off after him, darting around the branches, and moving as fast as he could - he might have been an aging cop, but dammit he was in shape - police cardio or something, he might take up a running program, he rounded the last set of trees to see Roz down, a dozen or more arrows sticking out from her body, and a knife through her chest. Peter was on the ground, riving in pain - a woman, who Noah recognized immediately as Kate Argent, was standing over him, her gun barrel still smoking. 

“Well, well.” Kate hummed, “What do we have here?” She turned her attention to the sheriff.

“RUN!” Roz screamed, Noah tried to comply, but a sharp pain resonated behind his eyes, just as his world turned sideways, the forest floor catching him, in a hard embrace.

☽♚♛♚☾

The first time Noah woke, he was cuffed to something that looked like a banister. It took him a moment to realize that they were in the old hotel, part of the highest cliffs of Beacon Hills had dropped into the ocean in the 1950s, and the hotel, once a grand place had been left abandoned. Roz had found it, when Noah was a teenager. She had brought him and Peter out multiple times. Sometimes Claudia with them. It was their place, and that bitch - Kate Argent had weaponized it. He doubted she even knew it was their secret place.

His head hurt, more than he cared to think about, and he could feel the trickles of blood. Several moments passed before his vision began to clear completely, his eyes landed on Peter Hale first, the man was stripped to his underwear, strung up on an electric fence. There were bullet wounds on him that had yet to heal, his head was down, chin against his chest, and his breathing was off, Noah could tell even from where he was cuffed to the floor, that the wolf was in pain.

It took longer to find Roz. 

When he did he let out a sharp whine, she was suspended from what he believed was once the hooks that held the chandelier. Her wings were out, and frayed - the webbing between bones sliced through so many times it reminded him of a spiderweb. Her hands were chained above her head, and her feet dangled, her elongated neck, more pronounced by the thick metal collar fastened around it, blood dripping down the metal, down her face, and onto the floor not far from him. Her eyes were as black as night, pitched so dark the moon couldn’t be found among them. 

She was only the vampire, he shivered.

And that was more terrifying than the other occupants of the room - _hunters_ , his mind aptly supplied. Kate Argent, their leader, her blonde hair in a ponytail as she moved around Roz, jabbing her with a golden blade, the end coated in something that reminded him of blood, but somehow looked darker. It took him even longer, to distance the ringing in his ears enough that he could make out what Kate was saying.

“I’ll cut your wings off.” She was looking pointedly at Roz. “I’ve been working on some anti-venoms, wonder what they will do to a pretty little hybrid like you.” Roz either had no response, or couldn’t actually speak - the collar looked tight from where Noah could see, but his blurred vision had him unsure of what he was actually seeing. Roz’s black orbs were tracking every move Kate was making. Noah was reminded of watching a Lioness stalk a Gazelle on the National Geographic channel Stiles used to be obsessed with. The thought, although abstract, was so normal that he almost longed for that time, and an innocent notion that he now found laughable. 

Peter, awake now, was growling and snarling - low; instantly Noah was reminded of the feral coyotes that Malia and Sydney had been, how they had snarled and bit at Roz, even when she wasn’t hurting them. Peter’s electric blue eyes were watching Kate now, too. Alarmingly narrowed, his breathing heavy, and only through his mouth. “Oh, the Sheriff is awake.” Kate was looming closer to him now. “How does a human man of the law end up running with abominations.” 

“The only abomination I see here is you.” Noah managed to slur, Kate smiled at him, predatory, then struck him against the face, hard.

☽♚♛♚☾

“Where are they?” Melissa paced, it was her second nature, to worry. She and Noah had lost too damn much to let the supernatural destroy what they had left. Knowing that it was nightfall, her shift at the hospital over and she still didn’t see Noah, Peter, or Roz among the faces in the house, set her on edge. 

“We looked at all the places Roz used to take us to hide as children.” Cora and Emmett looked sheepish. “And we couldn’t catch any scents anywhere.” Emmett added, giving them a thoughtful look. “We ran the preserve twice.”

Stiles had learned earlier that day that he was in fact a witch, but that Deaton wouldn’t be able to teach him. Deaton was a Druid, who believed in balance, in the scales being equal. Stiles, like Roz, had the power to shift the balance of nature, to unsettle the world in fundamental ways. Deaton had encouraged him to become Roz’s student. 

Now, Roz still wasn’t home. 

Neither was his father.

Or the creeptastic Peter Hale. 

If Derek was on edge, he was hiding it well. “They could just be hanging out.” Derek countered, looking at Melissa in a serious way. “Peter, Noah, and Roz grew up together right, with you Mel? Can you think of any place they might be?”

“They used to talk about a palace.” Melissa frowned. “Claudia knew about it, but Rafe and I were never really invited.” She sighed, “We were different back then. I was a cheerleader, Rafe a football player. Peter and Roz were the nerds, Claudia was younger than us, and Noah was into baseball.” She bit her bottom lip. 

“Let’s not worry about it until midnight.” Chris suggested. “There is nothing, at this moment, to indicate that they are in danger.”

Then of course, because this was Stiles’ life, Derek grabbed his chest and doubled over - actually all the wolves did. Derek reared up and howled. “Roz is in pain, she’s in physical fucking pain, and Peter is also in pain.” He couldn’t focus, he couldn’t breathe.

Even when fighting the Kanima, Roz had never owned up to actual pain, she had called it all a mild inconvenience. Stiles looked wildly around, until Boyd and Scott were on either side of him, Boyd interlacing their fingers, and squeezing his hand hard enough it almost hurt. Scott had a firm grip on his shoulder, and it didn’t take Stiles long to realize, they were trying hard to make sure he was ok - that he was going to be safe. 

“Derek, breathe!” Laura shouted, grabbing at his shoulders. “You need to focus on the bond, and let it pull you. Roz and you have a strong connection, let her draw you in.”

☽♚♛♚☾

When Noah blinked awake again he, too, was strung up next to Peter, Roz was on his other side, her face against the chain length fencing that was holding them all up. It was no longer charged with electricity, but that probably had to do with the fact that Kate had an electric baton in hand. Roz’s back looked wrong, as he blinked awake, Kate touched the baton to Peter’s neck, the wolf howled in pain, and jerked wildly, his beta shift surging forward, and claws emerging.

Roz was missing her wings.

Her wings were on a table, a metal table behind Kate. Roz, she looked completely out of it, her neck was still collared, but her eyes were rolled back in her head, blood dripping from her back, and her lips. She was bare from the waist up, just her underwear on her hips, and long deep cuts down the back of her thighs, and her calves. Her wrist were bound high above her head, blood running from her wrist. 

“You bitch.” Noah hissed at her, “Why did you cut her?”

“She’s a fucking monster, Mr. Stilinski.” Kate laughed maniacally. “Just like the Hales. Honestly, I am trying to do you a favor before one of them… converts your son.” She rolled her shoulders, “You know you're young teenage son… who is friends with all the werewolves, you know about them, right.”

“I know they are good, good teenagers.” Noah grumbled, “Peter is a little hard to love, but we are trying, and Roz is the only one who manages to keep us all alive.”

“Funny how she’s the one I plan on killing first.” Kate shoved the baton against her back, Roz’s eyes lit up like a Christmas tree, electric blue to gold, to solid white, and back to black. This time her eyes locked on to Noah, and a growl erupted from her lips. Kate had backed off, and was advancing on both Peter and Noah, the baton against Peter’s inner thigh, and a knife sliding down Noah’s shoulder. 

“Get your hands off my mates.” Roz’s voice was gutted, tight strung, and forced from her lips with such violence that Noah almost recoiled from it, but then his mind wrapped around the words. She called him and Peter her _mates_. And that, at this moment, shouldn’t make his heart do something chaotic, but it does, and then Peter is looking at him, a frown on his features, which under any other circumstances would have had him laughing - because beta shift with a frown wasn’t as terrifying.

“Mates, huh.” Kate settled the baton down, and grabbed a second knife. 

“God, you are your father made over.” Peter pushed out, his voice leaking hate and pain.

Kate just shrugged, and moved forward, bringing the knife down the side of Noah’s face, to his collarbone. If Roz was mad before, she was furious now, her body fought against everything holding her down. The binds that held her wrist popped first, sending her backward, her legs tangled in the straps of metal holding her to the chain length fence. She clawed her way out of them, even as Kate turned on her.

Roz looked dead, paler even than the night Malia and Sydney had bit her.

Peter heaved a groan, “Bloodlust.” 

“What?” Noah demanded, but he was lost in the noise, because gunshots sounded and howls - then Derek, at least he assumed it was Derek (he was fairly sure Derek was the only wolf who could hold a bipedal shift like the movies) was on Roz and Kate. The metal collar that had been around Roz was ripped clean, tossed across the room like it was nothing, and Kate’s screams filled the chamber. Chris and Melissa were helping him down, as countless wolf hands moved to help Peter. Roz had shifted, into something alarming, and fragile, her back broke open with blood weeping where her wings had been cut off.

Kate’s thrashing stopped, as both wolf and vampire clawed her chest open, and started ripping her insides out. Chris was ghost white, “We need to move out, create a buffer for…” He motioned towards his sisters twisting body, the large monsters over her. “We need to move fast.”

Noah couldn’t count the minutes, until Derek exited the chamber, bathed in blood and what he reasoned to be bone marrow, in his arms Roz, also covered in blood, and other bodily excretions. Derek looked at Chris for a long moment, “Sorry.”

“She had it coming.” Allison bit out. “We should…”

“No.” Noah growled. “This was our safe place.”

Peter nodded, barely keeping his head up. “This was our palace.”

“Oh my god.” Melissa whispered. “This is where you and Claudia got engaged.” 

Noah nodded sadly.

Roz let out a wheezing breath. 

“She overfed, she drank Kate dry… she’s going to be sick.” Chris looked down at her, “What happened to her wings.”

“Kate cut them off.” Noah wheezed. 

Stiles was there, then, hugging his father, too tight, making the man groan, and then he was hugging Peter, when his eyes fell on Roz he yelped, Scott was a beat behind him, with Jackson and Danny, “We got the SUV’s like you said, Chris - completely dismantled them all. Is she ok?” Scott asked, looking at Roz with wide eyes.

“She isn’t.” Deaton observed, “We need to get her home.”

☽♚♛♚☾

  
  


Roz didn’t wake up for almost eight days, and when she did… she was more human than she had been in over 300 years. Deaton didn’t know what to make of it, “She wants to live now.” He’d said, after a long moment. “Roz spent decades, centuries trying to die once Laurent bit her. First with your grandmother, then with accepting the Kanima in her. In all of her absences she battled hand to hand with hunters, went toe to toe with every beast she could find. She didn’t die, instead she carried a piece of that with her.” It might have been the longest Deaton had ever spoken to the Hale pack, as he sat at the table. “She lost her purpose, she gleaned it for but a moment with you and Claudia, Noah.” He frowned, “She came to me and asked if I knew how to live. How to be a mortal, how to die.” He sighed, “Now she has a purpose, and I believe we owe that to you, Noah.”

“So love?” Scott had asked, confused.

Deaton had nodded, “There is nothing on earth more powerful than love.” Deaton had paused, and looked around the room, “She has a will to live, and because of that, because of her love for Noah, and probably her acceptance of her need for Peter, she… well, she’s accepted all the parts of her, and because of that, the more human part of her was released.”

“But she’s still a hybrid.” Derek toned.

Deaton shook his head, “Derek I have no clue what she will be when she wakes up, I don’t know.” Then the veterinarian had left, not just the Stilinski house, but Beacon Hills. He’d had Scott and Isaac pick up a series of boxes, all of which were labeled ‘For Stiles and Roz.’ Then he’d disappeared into the proverbial night. 

When she woke up, it was with the same fueled vengeance that she’d killed Kate. She screamed, her hands fighting to get to her shoulder blades, where deep grooves remained, “I can’t fix that.” Deaton had told them, his face dark, and with it the last hope Stiles had of any of the pack making it out of this hellmouth a complete soul.

“NOAH! PETER!” Her voice was raw, and cracked from disuse. Both were on her in a blink. “Are you ok?” Peter had laughed, like a crazy man, because of course the almost dead hybrid was more worried about a human who got knocked around and a werewolf with a little wolfsbane poisoning. 

“We are fine.” Noah promised, and dipped low for her to scent.

“You scared us.” Peter whispered, his fingers stroking over her temple.

“Huh?” She looked perplexed. 

“What is the last thing you remember?” Stiles asked from the doorway as he climbed into the room, unleashing the flood of werecreatures, Chris, Melissa, and Kira. They all crowded and pushed to be around her, whining low in their throats and making aborted motions to touch her.

“I was chained up.” She whispered, “Kate was threatening you.” Her sharp green eyes locked onto Noah’s, “I thought I could smell Derek.” She frowned, “What happened?”

“The vampire took over.” Peter whispered, still featherlight against her. “It… I don’t know, broke free, I have no clue how it works for you, it was like a seperate creature, it got you off the wall, and then… transformed you into something even I don’t think I want to see again.”

“Kate?” Her eyes found Derek.

“We killed her and ate her.” Derek didn’t look that ashamed. Stiles knew for a fact that he was actually a little disturbed by the whole thing, he’d given too far into his wolf, and that was a chance he couldn’t and didn’t want to take again. 

“Oh, god.” She groaned, closed her eyes and sighed. “I exalted the vampire reserves. I can feel the beast, it’s still inside me but… changed somehow, more in sync with the wolf.” She whispered. “It used to be a power play, but now, they seem… mended, forged? The Kanima is there too.”

“Deaton thought they’d band together.” Melissa offered. “To preserve your human life.”

“I… What?” She raised an eyebrow.

“According to Deaton.” Lorilee stepped up, almost thirteen now, the only beta in the house who was defiant ninety percent of the time and got away with it, because all the adults had a soft spot for her, “Love won.”

“Love.” Roz looked perplexed.

Noah found his voice, “The Vampire, when it took over, it told Kate to stop touching it’s - your mates.” The whole room grew quiet. “Peter and I, she was attacking us both, when the vampire…”

A deep blush moved across her cheeks, and she attempted to hide her face. “Holy shit.” Derek whispered. “A triade. That… that actually explains a lot. About so many things.” He sighed, before dropping against the edge of the bed. “This… complicates things.”

“How?” Boyd asked, clearly the quiet beta had found his voice.

Derek looked at Laura, but Roz spoke. “A triade can only establish itself in certain packs. Packs that are meant to be immortal.” The room grew quiet. “Packs that don’t die, that go on indefinitely and usually save the world, it means that as a pack we have something special, something the Gods and the Moon blessed.” She sighed, “It also means that Derek has the right to offer you, all the humans, the bite, in an open ended sort of way.”

Noah looked around to meet Derek’s gaze. “I want it.” Stiles wasn’t the one to object, but the whole room fell into chaos. Noah waited for the chatter to slow down, “I want it after the full moon. There is no arguing over this. Derek. Roz, and I can talk about it. Stiles, what do you think?”

“I think I’m an immortal witch just like Roz. I was going to be immortal regardless. Scott, pups, none of you have a chance to change his mind. And Frankly, I am too scared to lose him. Derek, I support it, I know Peter and Roz do. Roz told me once that she was not going to trust her heart with a mortal again, I see how much she loves you, dad.” Stiles felt his breath hitch. “I know how much she loved mom - and we are coming back to that, Roz - because I want to know everything about my mom.” Stiles huffed, “Even what you know.” He pointed at Peter. Stiles looked back at Derek, “The bite would only make me sick.” 

“And Chris? Melissa?” Peter whispered.

“Eventually.” Melissa whispered, “I don’t want to be away from Scott, and my future grandchildren, in the far distant future.” She growled at both Scott and Allison. 

Chris frowned, “I don’t want to be a wolf, but should I need to be I will.” 

Derek looked around the room, and smiled. “Laura, I have a pack.”

“Yeah, you do.” Laura bumped shoulders with him.

☽♚♛♚☾

It started as a joke, because that's who Rozlyn was at her base. A funny trickster, with a flirty smile. Sometimes the teenagers hated her confidence, but then Derek had a tendency to point out the fact that she was literally over 300, now. Pack nights consist of one of three things.

  1. Movies and Pizza (“We are not ninja turtles!” Derek growled)
  2. Music and laying under the stars (“Please don’t sing Across the Galaxy!” Noah begged)
  3. Indian Pow Wow - or pushing all the furniture around in the second house and sitting in a circle and just talking, just really letting shit out, (“Kumbaya, bitches!” Erica gets a pillow to the face.)



Roz actually made a pretty decent weekly schedule. They trained every Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday. Monday and Wednesday they trained for three hours, then immediately went into Pack night option number two. Saturday they trained all day, and it often devolved into pack night number three. Tuesday they were guaranteed to have take-out from China Now or Tokyo Main. Thursday they had spaghetti, regardless of the morning, and Sunday was a day for relaxing and catching up on homework. Friday, after school they always did movies and pizza, copious amounts of pizza.

When Roz caught wind that they wanted their lunches packed - she delegated the job to Peter and Chris, “Get to know each other, and learn what the pups like.” It became something both men enjoyed doing, although neither were going to admit it. Every two weeks they visit the cemetary - to pay respects to so many they’d lost along the way. Claudia Stilinski, The Hales, Jackson’s first parents, Lydia’s grandmother… After the Kanima it’s also Allison’s mother, Victoria among the headstones. Boyd’s little sister, Erica’s mother, Isaac and Camden’s mother. 

Roz took time to get Laura, Cora, Malia, Sydney, Erica, and Lydia into dance classes. Eventually Lorilee joined them, and Roz even took the ballet - “It helps with our footwork on the battlefield.” Derek had no clue when Melissa joined them, but he had caught her with ballet slippers on more than one occasions. All the boys were in track, “It builds endurance”, and lacrosse, “It builds control.” She and Peter meditated together, Derek had no clue what Chris and Roz got up to in the room he claimed as his in the house Peter bought, but they were friends of some sort. Noah and Roz were always gravitated together, always orbiting, and working together. 

He couldn’t help but wonder why she was so damn determined to get everyone involved, he noticed that morning, when she rounded up all the boys and Stiles, and took them on a hike through the preserve to the top end, opposite of the cliffs, to an old pond. “Work on swimming, and water combat - we might need it.” Then she spent the next several hours working out with them. He caught her hand as she set his plate in front of him, and pulled her wrist to his lips, pressing a chaste kiss. “Thank you, Roz.” He whispered and let her go, Stiles watching him with calculating eyes - and that’s another thing, Roz has noticed him noticing Stiles, and it’s unnerving the way she knows, she has to know that Derek is very interested in all things Stiles, he even watches their magic practice. 

Derek realized over dinner, in a shocking way, that Roz’s part within the pack had always been as the backbone. That’s why his mother’s pack was unstable at best. Talia had never allowed the hybrid to settle and dig in, grow roots, and grow memories around them all.

  
  


* * *

End Part One.

* * *


	2. Mama Always Told Me That I should Play Nice

Mama Always Told Me That I should Play Nice   
_ (She Didn't Know You When She Gave Me That Advice) _

☽♚♛♚☾

Roz couldn’t stretch her arms above her head, or spread her fingers out wide. In fact her shoulders were irritated at any time that she wore a tighter shirt. So, currently she was in a button up shirt of Noah’s, skinny jeans on her hips, and her feet tucked into combat boots. Melissa had braided her hair for her, and although her teeth were still sharp, and her skin still pale, the aviator sunglasses hid her eyes - they still couldn’t hold a color. 

Stiles and Allison were with her, the trio walking through the aisle of Big Spot, looking for everything on the combined grocery list for the two houses. They’d sorted out bedrooms, for the most part - but the Stinski house was the main one, where all meals were served, and the majority of ‘war room’ meetings were held. They were tracking oddities in and around Beacon Hills. A smorgasbord of red yarn and police reports.

Camden, Jordan, Chris, and Noah were all working on the police force, Noah now firmly the Sheriff of Beacon Hills, backed firmly by the community at large. All the kids were back in school, even Roz, and doing pretty well. Derek and Peter, although sour about it, were doing most of the renovation work between the two houses - Peter knew how to install the tunnels, but it wasn’t a one man job. After school, the younglings would help. Roz wasn’t much help, yet. 

“What else is on the list Melissa gave you?” Roz demanded. When Stiles didn’t answer right away, she turned to look at him. Allison was standing slightly to his left eye wide. “Stiles. Ally.” She snapped her fingers impatiently. Then, followed their gaze. A group of five were walking steadily towards them, the man in the front was blind, but even Stiles knew something was off about him. “Shit, what fresh hell is this.” 

She moved to stand in front of them both. The blind man’s cane struck against her ankle. “Interesting, you're crippled just like me.” He snorted. “One alpha to another.” He grumbled, “Let’s not let this get out of hand, my name is Deucalion.”

“I know who you are.” Roz muttered. “And I, more than anyone, know why you’ve come.”

The blind man tilted his head, just as a dark skinned woman stepped to the side. “Kali there is no need for that.” He spoke, and reached out to touch her. “Rozlynn knows what we seek. You and the Hale pup… Alphas with no clue how to deal with the power at your fingertips.”

“You're wrong, I am not an alpha.” Roz muttered, “I’m a mutt.”

“The Vampire, Laurent, was an alpha - you killed him.” The man to Deucalion's left sounded. 

Roz shrugged, “No red eyes here, captain.” She leaned a little to her left, her right hand shook slightly, more pain than anything else, although anger was creeping into her body quickly. “As it stands, we have a pack, and you are in our territory without permission.” There was a low edge to her voice, something that made Stiles cringe, he’d heard that before. Before she’d killed Gerard. 

Stiles shot his hand forward, and curled it around her wrist, “Mom, it's not worth it.” It was the first time he ever called her mom, and it caught her off guard. She looked at him, eyes searching, he met her gaze, eyes hopeful. She nodded back at him, and let him tug her to his side. “It was nice to meet you, Deucalion. But mom has to help us finish getting groceries and go home. As she stated you are trespassing.” 

“I didn’t know you had a pup, and one who looks so… much like a former mate you had.” Kali offered up, “We will arrange a formal meeting though you're alpha, with the Emissary, is it still Deaton?”

“It’s me.” Stiles growled, Allison was shadowing them, close enough to grab them both and run. “Mom.” He said again, a little more forceful.

“Right.” She grumbled, she reached for Allison, who linked their hands, and took two steps backward.

“A hunter's child, in your pack.” Ennis snarled, his body starting to bend. “Do you keep the hunter on a leash?” The question drew a snarl from both Allison and Roz.

“Ennis!” Deucalion snarled, “Enough, we are done here, for now. Pup we will be in contact with you.”

Roz held her head high, and watched him walk away. “Are we leaving?” Allison whispered, softly.

“Not until we get food.” Roz muttered. “We… I need… Fuck.” She sagged a little then, and Stiles almost whimpered as he watched black veins pull up Allison’s arms.

“You're in pain.” Stiles frowned.

“My wings were like a second set of arms, Stiles. They were integral to my being, nerves and tendons were damaged.” She hissed. “We can talk about you calling me mom later, because trust me - that is… my heart exploded.” She whispered softly. Allison had an arm around Roz’s waist, and Stiles didn’t let go of her hand as they finished shopping. Roz was off in her own world.

☽♚♛♚☾

**Beacon Hills**

**Night of The Hale Fire**

With most of the pups winding down for the night, Roz had a bit of down time. Cora, the ten year old, was on her lap, as she braided the little ones hair down her back. “Thank you Rozzi.” The little wolf wiggled. 

“Go, go to bed.” Roz shoved at the girls shoulder, “I’ll be up to check on you all - the new moon zaps us all.” Roz laughed a little. The new moon this close to Halloween had Talia on some sort of war path (how dare it disrupt Derek’s perfect birthday - November 7th). 

She did a quick count of heartbeats in the house - eleven. Talia, her mate Benny, Peter, Marly, Cora, Emmett. She tilted her head and listened harder - Rebekka, Ruth, and Mark were fast asleep, little human pups that belonged to Marly, silly little younglings. David, the eldest in the house, Benny’s older brother was downstairs with Talia - one a fresh faced young alpha and the other an alpha fading out of time. 

Roz wandered the house, letting her hands trail over the balcony, and pressing her scent into them - it was a two purpose deal it irritated the shit out of Talia, but it made Roz very very happy. She had a tendency to irritate the woman Meredith had given her spark to. Roz was of the ideal that Peter was better suited for it. 

She made it to the study, to find Talia, Benny, Peter, and David all together. “Marly I’ve been corralling the young ones.” She offered, “Sending them off to bed.” 

“So early?” David made a tutting noise, “It’s not even nine. Talia, your pack is boring. Except Rozlynn, this creature you allow to stand beside you, easily the worst of the supernatural.”

“She made a blood vow with an ancestor.” Talia brushed it off. “She’s only visiting as it is, then she will be gone again.”

Roz frowned, she’d come back to see Claudia and Noah, and little Stiles - but Claudia couldn’t remember her anymore, couldn’t remember the love she held for Claudia. It was bitter enough to swallow that. “I was actually just headed out. I am going to say goodbye to Derek and Laura - he’s got a game tonight.” She moved around the living room, pushing a hand over Marly and Peter. “Love you, pups.”

“Love you Roz.” They both echoed, as she grabbed her cloak and headed out the front door, her claws digging into the palm of her hands as she walked away. That… wasn’t pack, not anymore.

Her heart had been in going to see Claudia, watch her sleep maybe. Or talk with Noah, but churning tires caught her attention, she stopped her slow march, and listened. The momentum was too fast to be accidental, she tilted her head, and listened - large motors, SUVs by her estimate. 

She honed her eating, her eyes turning into black pools -  _ “Dad, this has been such a…” _

_ “Hush, Kate. You did good work. Now let’s go take out a pack.” _

“Fuck.” Roz turned on her heels and started to run.

☽♚♛♚☾

They had a false lull for a couple of weeks. Beacon Hills was a master at making one feel completely comfortable before releasing the next monster. As the Alphas moved around the area, Roz and Derek kept a close eye on any deaths they could attribute them. The calm washed away slowly, like sand being pulled back out to sea.

It started with random animals dying. Actually, in Roz’s long life, anytime animals start committing suicide it's a brilliant time to run - or gear up for the fight of one's life. So, she did something she normally wouldn’t. “You need to give them all the binding tattoos.” She said over breakfast, the morning after the first series of frogs appeared in the preserve pond, having drowned themselves.

Derek jerked up to look at her. “All of them?”

“All of them.” She nodded, “It won’t be pleasant, but it’s a lot less troublesome compared to how they used to be doled out.” She grumbled. “I need you.” She pointed directly at Noah, “To find us a clean tattooist who is willing to come here, price isn’t an object.” She looked out the window and sipped her coffee. “It’s time, I believe, to invoke the gods.”

Laura and Derek shared a look, the pair other than Roz and Peter, were the only ones old enough at the time of the fire to have the triskelion tattoo on their bodies. “Even the humans?” Laura asked, looking at Stiles, Chris, Melissa, and Noah.

When Roz looked back at her, she looked grave. “Even the humans.” She was the only one in the room who didn’t flinch when a raven flew straight into the glass window, beating its head against the pane until it died. “Quickly, Noah.” She huffed, “The tattoos will bind us more firmly in place.” She looked back out the window as rain started. “A storm is coming.” She whispered, low. 

Peter and Noah nodded at each other, “I’ll go with Noah, darling.” Peter pressed a kiss to the top of her spine, then ushered Noah out the front door. 

“Cam, Parrish - I want both of you stationed near the school.” Roz didn’t bother to look up. Derek sighed, “Derek I want you either with Chris or Mel at all times.” She didn’t bother to justify ordering her alpha around. “I’ve only felt this magic once in my life, and I didn’t like it then.” She muttered, “I sure as hell don’t like it now.”

She moved out of the kitchen, “Where are you going?” Derek called after her.

She only shrugged and called back, “It’s time to call a Breaden.”

“She doesn’t mean a magical merc does she?” Laura hissed.

Derek frowned, “Time for school, kiddos.” He pointedly didn’t bother to answer Laura, until everyone was trying to get ready for school. “I thought they were a myth.”

“Obviously not.” Melissa said, “What’s a Breaden?”

Chris, who had joined them as the kids excited, “Cousins to the Van Helsing family, known for their ability to hunt witches. Almost like they can sniff them out. Why are we talking about the Breaden’s?”

“Apparently Roz is calling one?” Derek pinched the bridge of his nose. “The animal deaths have her on edge. She’s right, something's off in the air - but I don’t know what. Even Stiles isn’t comfortable, and that’s saying something because he took to the supernatural world like a duck to water.” Derek grumbled.

“He’s right to be afraid.” Roz made him startle. “I’ve summoned a Braeden.” She looked at Chris. “Feel free to pick her up from the airport, her payment has already been worked out.” She looked at Melissa, “While she is here, would it be ok for her to make your house her home base? You pretty much live here now.” She tilted her head, “Braeden's and me don’t get along.”

“That’s fine.” Melissa offered. 

-/-

Of course, their trip to school had to be just as fucked as everything else. Roz was driving the Camaro with Kira, Malia and Sydney with her. Stiles had the jeep with Scott, Boyd, Isaac, and Emmett. Jackson was driving himself, Danny, Theo, and Brett. Lydia was following behind him with Lorilee, Erica and Cora. Stiles had the Jeep in the front. Allison was driving Laura, in their backseat everyone's track gear. 

They made it to the first stoplight, when suddenly a herd of stags appeared out of nowhere, seven total, all of them ramming into the vehicles. As the teenagers screamed around them Roz hit the brakes hard to avoid hitting Stiles, sliding the Camaro into oncoming traffic then raised her arms and shouted, “Gabh beatha an fhuil neo-chiontach, air a ustadh.” The stags abruptly stopped, and seemed to snort blood, it poured from their eyes and ears, before they dropped unceremoniously against the pavement.

She was the first one out of the car, slamming the door behind her. She knelt down over one, and looked it over. Stiles joined her, “What the hell just happened?”

“Witchcraft.” She hissed, then ran her hand over the flank of the animal. “Get back in the Jeep, Stiles. This isn’t a lesson I can show you in broad daylight. I have a feeling there will be more.” She chewed nervously at her bottom lip, when she looked up Jackson was looking at the front of his baby blue Porsche with a frown on his face. Lydia was also glowering at her Volkswagen Beetle front end which was damaged. Even Allison was giving her Mazda a look over - the passenger door had been scraped. “Everyone, back in the cars, we need to go to school.” 

“How did you stop them?” Stiles asked her.

“A spell that almost drained me, now let’s move.” She growled, she handed Kira the keys and made the younger girl drive the rest of the way to school. The camaro in the lead. Of course, arriving at school also was a mistake. The moment they were out of the cars, all the wolves snarled. “Stop.” Roz ordered, then looked at Allison and Stiles, “Remember when we saw the A-Pack at the store, the younger wolves with them? The twins - they are here, I can feel them. Do NOT engage.” She snapped, and glowered, Danny moved up to clutch her shoulders, “Thank you, pup.” She patted his fingers. 

“So what do we do?” Stiles asked.

It was Jackson who spoke, “We proceed as normal.” 

Normal ment Lorilee going to the middle school across the far side of the parking lot. The little girl waved at them before heading off. Roz was a senior so she gave them all a head nod before grabbing her own bag and stalking across the parking lot. Sydney and Malia were in intermediate classes to get caught up to their age group, so along with Emmet, Brett, and Theo they headed toward the Freshmen halls. 

Stiles nodded, and took off. Kira had been sorted into all their classes, so he felt sorry for their new English teacher and new Chemistry teacher. Jackson took his spot beside Stiles, with Lydia on his other side. Danny, Scott and Allison fell in line next, then Laura, Issac and Cora. Kira, Erica and Boyd trailed them, the pair holding hands and sticking close together. The twelve of them made up half the class in any class they were all in. They stumbled into Sophomore english, and pushed and shoved each other until they were situated comfortably.

The teacher - if the board was honest in her name - Miss Jennifer Blake, walked in. Every cell phone chimed with an unfamiliar number as she smiled at them. Stiles felt the hair on his neck stand up at her smile, something was off about her. Both the alpha twins squirmed in through the door a beat later, she just waved them in, before talking. “T _ he offing was barred by a black bank of clouds and the tranquil waterway, leading to the uttermost ends of the earth, flowed somber under an overcast sky, seemed to lead into the heart of an immense darkness _ . This is the last line to the first book we are going to read. It is also the last text you will receive in this class. Phones off, everyone.”

As the pack moved to comply, Stiles could feel the alphas staring him down. He tried to give them a look of complete contempt, but if Danny’s snort was anything to go by, he looked like a sulking puppy. Jackson shoved his shoulder and hissed, “Normal, Stilinski.” His hand curling over Stiles’ shoulder, and squeezing lightly.

The lesson seemed easy enough, and most of it was Blake outlining what she expected from them - one of the things was damn near perfect attendance. Stiles could safely say that probably wasn’t going to happen for the pack. It was shortly before the bell was set to ring, that a loud noise drew everyone's attention. Birds, a large volume of them, started crashing into the window. Stiles looked pointedly at Lydia as the pack crashed into the floor, birds pecking at him, he was under several wolves. The other students were screaming, but he could feel Jackson and Danny jerking kids bodily under the desk. 

Lydia whispered the spell she’d heard Roz use, and Stiles repeated it with a low flourish. “Gabh beatha an fhuil neo-chiontach, air a ialtadh.” The crows and ravens immediately stopped their attack, dropping in a frenzied pool of blood and what looked like other excrement. Stiles felt something cold surging through his veins, and he couldn’t stop the wave of nausea and subsequent vomiting that hit him. Lydia scrambled to hold his shoulders, as Roz forced the door open, her eyes narrowed at Blake, she swept past everyone and knelt in front of Stiles.

“Mischief, I’m amazed you're not dead.” She hissed, before kissing his temple and muttering something he couldn’t catch. Warmth flooded back through him, and he felt Jackson move to hold him. “The Principal has all of us seniors rounding up everyone and sending them to the gym. All the windows on this side of the building were destroyed.” Jackson helped Stiles stand. “I assume you know where that is, Miss…” She read the board, “Blake. You look familiar, like someone I once met.”

Their teacher narrowed her gaze. “I just moved here from Chicago.”

“Ah.” Roz nudged one of the birds with her toe. “So no relation to Julia Baccari?” The woman's eyes darkened considerably, before she shook her head. “My mistake.” She offered, “It was a long time ago.” She ushered the children out, turning to look over her shoulder at Blake, “A very long time ago.” It was on the way to the gym that she stopped them, shoving them into the locker room - or more accurately shoving Jackson who was supporting Stiles, the other wolves following. “Did she see you?” 

“See me what?” Stiles whimpered.

“Use the spell, you idiot.” Roz hissed.

Stiles recoiled, and blinked rapidly. “I… I don’t know?”

“He was under most of us.” Erica whispered, “Roz, who is Julia Baccari.”

“Someone I once knew.” Roz looked tired, her age noticeable, to a degree. “She was an emissary for one of the Alphas now in the Alpha pack, I met her when Talia first broke bread with the nomadic packs - the three older alphas in the alpha pack are nomadic.” She offered. “Get to the gym.” She ordered Jackson. “I’ve got something to check on.” She ran her hand over all of their cheeks and necks before sliding out of the bathroom.

Stiles frowned, “I think that means our teacher is this week's big bad?”

“Sounds like.” Lydia hummed. “But knowing that doesn’t make catching her easier.”

-/-

The principal sent all the students home for the day. Roz ordered them all home and explicitly ordered Stiles not to do any magic, before she disappeared with his father. When they returned Alan Deaton was with them. “We need to talk about some things - Chris, Melissa, Derek, Peter - all of the rest of you I want you training in the backyard. Pair up and practice take down - no serious injuries, no broken bones. Stiles you need to rest.” Roz ordered and sent them on their way.

“Resting means I get to lay in the living room while you guys talk?” Stiles muttered, his body felt fatigued, drowsy, drained.

“Of course.” Derek promised, he carefully settled onto the couch and pulled Stiles’ head into his lap. “I heard you were quite the hero today, working a spell you didn’t know enough about to save some of your friends, maybe the whole school from being violently attacked by crows.” Derek ran his hand over Stiles’ shaved head. 

“He killed 200 black birds in one swoop.” Peter deadpanned. “After he watched Roz take out seven stags with the spell. The Stags might have been bigger but they didn’t require as much energy.” Peter crossed his arms and leveled Stiles with a look. “You and Roz both have unbridled power, as long as you are near the nemeton, you will never ever have to run out of energy, it's literally woven around you, but that doesn’t mean you should exhaust yourself.”

“Peter is right.” Melissa leaned against the couch, and rubbed Derek’s head the same way he was rubbing Stiles’. “We don’t need both our nuclear warheads destroyed.”

Noah snorted, “Alan is here, let’s go over the things we know. The station is running out of options. We’ve had fifteen calls in the past hour. I got suicidal deer, birds flying through windows, pets behaving aggressively. I - I gotta tell ya, I’m starting to think there’s something in the water.” 

“Sort of.” Alan looked at Roz. “It’s either a Darach or a Necromancer, Roz already knows.” He sighed, “And about the animals. To be honest, I was going to give you a call about an incident of my own. At first I thought I might have had a break in. Some sick individual looking to release some particularly violent impulse. Until I got a closer look and realized what actually happened. Cats… all dead, they did it to themselves.”

“You probably did have a break in.” Roz sighed. “Can anyone tell me who Julia Baccari is?” 

Chris made a startled noise, and Noah whirled around to look at her. “I was the deputy who found her.” Noah said after a moment, “Clinging to the stump in the woods, left for dead. I took her to Beacon Hills Hospital.” He paused, “The last time birds behaved like this…. Was the day she was admitted, hundreds of them crashed into the windows of the hospital.”

“She was sacrificing them.” Peter observed.

“It happened after Paige, I believe her death brought the tree’s power back.” Roz gave them all a look. “One of my beloved pups once loved a human girl, he made some mistakes - with his uncle's help.” She glared at Peter, “And his young love was bitten by one of the alphas now in the alpha pack - Ennis McCloud.” She sighed, “The little girl died in his arms, with my help, in a root cellar I had shown him as a youth to hide from hunters, the root cellar was older than the tree. The nematon’s roots.” 

Chris let out a sharp noise. “Everything that happened in this little town was Peter’s fault?”

Peter made a startled noise. “Talia’s fault.” Noah corrected. “She invited the nomadic alphas in, right Roz. She brought them here, and broke bread with them. Encouraged them to meet with the Argents - who then was Gerard and Eleanor, right?”

“Someone has been reading the journals I left out.” Roz let out a soft noise. “Talia brought damnation down on her own family, and cursed the tree.”

“Also, Deaton found someone to do the tattoos - his sister, a druid named Morrell.” Peter looked at Roz, then Derek. “I assume you know which symbol to use.”

“When will she be here.” Derek growled, uncertain. “We just learned a lot of things, and we have no plan and no way of letting the alphas know we aren’t working with the - what is she Roz?”

“She was a druid, but her resurrection turned her into a Necromancer, she surpassed the laws of balance.” Roz explained. Stiles retained what he could. “I need to do research, but we need the tattoos first - you need to brand us with the Hale pack symbol you're mother wore - linking the old with the new, and pick a tattoo that symbolizes who you want us to be.” 

“She should be here around eleven.” Deaton offered. “I only just got back to town. I brought some new material for you, Stiles. And I would like to offer my assistance as a pack Druid, not an emissary - it seems to me you have enough of those Derek.”

Derek sighed, “You want to live here right, in one of the houses?”

“Well, the alpha pack did trash mine.” Deaton observed.

“There’s room in my house.” Peter grumbled. “Come on you knock off wizard, I’ll show you to a room.” With that Peter headed for the basement. 

“Stiles, Roz, could you help me with the tattoo? Chris and Noah could you help with some hand to hand out there, Cam and Jordan are home and have joined them as has Lorilee.” Derek suggested.

Melissa watched them all disperse, “I’ll go cook dinner.” She declared. 

-/-

They decided pretty quickly that any form of wolf tattoo was out. Mainly Stiles thought it would be a little funny, Derek thought it would reveal too much, and Roz just found it stupid. The placement, however, was easy - “Over the shoulder, over the left shoulder.” Derek declared early on. “Something ornate but dark with clear lines.” 

Roz just nodded. 

“What if we use the spiral.” Stiles asked, carefully, his laptop on Roz’s lap over his feet. “I mean, revenge brought the Hales home, brought us all together.” Stiles continued when neither rejected it. “I read in one of those books, that you can lace spells in ink - that’s what you're going to do, right, strengthen the pack bonds by blessing the ink, by embedding something into it?”

“Not just me.” Roz offered.

“You will be adding your own magic to it.” Derek told Stiles.

“It’s all about intent.” Roz soothed him.

They went with the spiral, Derek drawing the original spiral, then Roz adding aspects, and finally Stiles. The pack tumbled in, all contributing something, either physically or in an idea form. “The ball of it, the thick part, is going over your heart, this middle will bridge your shoulder, before the tail ends curled towards your armpit.” Stiles tells them all, the sketch is intricate and beautiful.

In total there are four formed spirals - the largest symbolized Derek and Laura’s return, filled with arrows running parallel to the lines. The arrows represent both the current hunters, and the hunters the pack had faced before. Two of the spirals have petals drawn on them, from the younger females of the pack - a symbol of blooming and new growth. The boys added lines, shaded some and left others blank. Noah added something similar to waves, making the reference to how water was cleansing. 

While waiting for Morrell, Derek, Peter, Roz, and Deaton worked on mixing up the special ink. It was hard to get their hands on all the ingredients they needed - old parchment preferably from the old pack (the Hale vault offered that) that had to be burned down to ashes, mercury, pure cadmium, and iron were the metals of choice for the mix, all melted to liquid by Roz’s magic. Then they added Aconitum fischeri, a special type of wolfsbane that came from Siberia or Korea, it was a lively blue and if not mixed correctly, with practiced hands it was deadly. Adding mistletoe and bloodroot was more for the spell work than the actual tattoo.

“Now, Stiles, think about what you feel about the pack - how you feel about us, and what you want for us in the future.” Roz ordered him. “Once you have it clearly in your mind, let me know.” Roz ordered. It didn’t take long, before he nodded, she slid behind him, and pushed a ivory handled knife into his hand. “Keep thinking about those things, baby.” For Stiles it was easy - pack was family, family was everything. He wanted them to be safe, to be alive, to be free of the fear that was coming. He didn’t even feel the blade as it slid down his palm, or as she let his blood dip into the mixture. When he blinked his eyes open, Derek already had his hand, in a warm wrap and cradled to his heart, Roz had slit her own palm and was letting blood run freely into the mixture. When she pulled away, Noah was there to wrap her hand up. “Everyone else, prick your finger lightly, and drop some blood in.” She ordered. 

Morrell looked completely surprised at the number of people getting the tattoos. “Humans first.” Derek ordered. Allison and Erica both offered to hold Chris’ hand. Chris handled the triskelion on his back a lot better than he handled the new tattoo symbol. Derek watched and whispered to Stiles, “This is a Covenant. We need a new pack name, we are no longer the Hales.” Derek offered, Stiles turned and looked at him. 

“The Stilinski Pack?” He wiggled his eyebrow.

“The Beacon Pack.” Roz muttered, as Morrell shooed Chris away, the hunter holding his discarded shirt in his hands and looking a little miserable, but he could feel the magic linking him to Derek. As Noah settled onto the stool, Roz stepped forward, and linked her fingers in his. Peter took his other hand, as the process started, black veins ran up their arms. 

Melissa went next, letting Scott and Isaac hold her hands, and only letting out a yelp once when the tattoo crossed over her shoulder - both Scott and Isaac tried drawing the pain away, but she swatted them back and said, “I earned this pain by joining this crazy pack.” She cried a little, but held it together the best she could.

When it was Stiles turn, he set stone still, his normally jerky body held firmly by almost every werewolf, Kira, werecoyote, and Roz. When he let out little whines, Derek would nuzzle his head, and whisper, “You are doing so good, so good, pup.” And place gentle kisses to Stiles crown. 

Stiles didn’t know what was more concerning, the fact that he was almost seventeen and getting a tattoo, strike that two tattoos OR the fact that his alpha was openly showering him with affection, the kind he had seen both Peter and Roz give Noah. When his back was done, he was shaking. “Let’s give the pup a break.” Peter declared, “Roz how about you get your shoulder, and Derek and Stiles can… calm down.”

Derek’s eyes were blood red, flickering. Stiles let the wolf help him up and then out the back door. “Stiles.” Derek whispered. “Do you know why I was so mean in the beginning?” 

Derek settled Stiles onto the swing, sideways, and let the boys back rest against his chest, drawing his pain up in black veins. “Because your sister had just died and Scott and I dug her up and then continued to ruin every chance you had to teach us?”

“Because you smelled…” Derek paused. “You smelled right, and I smelled that once before.”

“With Kate.” Stiles guessed.

“Correct.” Derek sighed, “With her it was chemically induced, she wore something that changed her scent.” Derek continued, “Laura knew the moment she and Roz found you.” Derek explained. “But you're young.”

“I was the age you were.” Stiles prompted, “When Kate ruined your life?”

Derek nodded against him, his chin resting on Stiles shoulder. “A lot has changed, since then. Seeing Peter with Roz and you're dad, watching Laura dance around whatever it is she’s thinking about starting with Camden. It’s… it’s a lot, you know, watching what is left of my family pairing up and making a go at happy. I was never meant to be an alpha, and had we not returned, I doubt the magic in you would have woken up.”

Stiles shifted as a wave of pain pulsed over him. “Derek.” Derek looked at him, soft. “I’m glad you told me. I like you too.” Stiles promised, then pushed his forehead against Derek’s, mimicking something he had seen Peter do.

“You scent marking me, pup?” Derek teased, as he gently butted his head back against Stiles’.

By the time Stiles went in to resume his tattoo Laura, Roz, and Peter were done with their shoulder pieces, and Morrell looked astounded. “Even this youngling?” She motioned to Lorilee.

“Yeah, even me.” The kid smarted.

-/-

It was Jackson who brought up the party on the following Friday, it was a mutual friend that he and Stiles had shared since fifth grade. “It’s just a party.” Jackson whined, “Please?”

Noah threw his hands up, “Ask you're alpha!” 

Jackson turned to Derek who raised an eyebrow, “Ask Peter.”

Peter shook his head, “Nope, ask momma-monster.” 

Jackson, dragging Stiles, found Roz in the center of the backyard, examining an animal carcass with Alan Deaton beside her. She had her hair pulled up, and long jeans on, her dark t-shirt was splattered with blood. “All of them.” She hissed. “All of them are curled black on the inside.” She growled, Deaton frowned. “Like their damn insides are turned to sludge.”

“Maybe they are?” Deaton suggested. “If she is a Darack turned Necromancer, there is a chance that she's naturally draining them, then using the corpses to do her bidding.” 

Roz leveled Deaton a look. “That would make sense, she has to be using something to hide the damage to her body.” 

Deaton supplied. “Noah said she was damn near unrecognizable as a human.” 

Roz seemed to take that into consideration. “So she’s using nature to front her face, but then necromancy to control the beast she drains, which is why it zaps me or Stiles to send the animals to peace.” Roz inhaled, then looked over her shoulder. “Go to your party, take your siblings, and don’t cause any trouble.” She ordered Jackson, then looked at Stiles. “Take Derek if you want or don’t, I’ve got plans tonight.” She declared, as she stood, and waved her hand, the animal decomposing rapidly, until it was nothing but dirt. 

Deaton balked at her. 

“Plans?” Stiles hummed.

“The Alpha Pack is busy doing nefarious things, and I have a Braeden to catch up.” She explained. “I need our witch killer to be comfortable and happy.” She continued, “Which means, I need to meet with her at the McCall house, and sort out what she needs to get to work - we need Julia Baccari dead.”

Stiles just rolled his eyes. “You could save people.”

“I’m saving all of us.” She deadpanned. “Thanks Deaton.” She looked at the Druid. 

-/-

In the end Lydia, Kira, Scott, Allison, Jackson and Stiles ended up going to the party. Everyone else had homework, or Peter growled at to “ _ Stay The Fuck Home _ ”. Stiles really wished he would have stayed home, both his tattoos still ached a little, and he wasn’t in the mood to be jostled left and right - but Heather threw open the door with a wicked grin on her face, and smiled at them, “IT'S MY BIRTHDAY!”

“Hello, Heather.” Stiles hugged her, then Lydia and Jackson did. “This is Scott, Allison, and Kira.” He waved at the people she had yet to meet. 

“So glad you made it!” Heather shouted, latching onto Stiles again, slamming her lips against his in a drunken kiss. All the wolves made a noise of concern even as Stiles attempted to wiggle away. “Come help me get some more wine, Stiles!” She ordered, already dragging him away, he shot them a look and whimpered as she clasped his shoulder.

The wine cellar was decked out, Stiles followed her like a puppy. “I’m 17 today.” Heather gave him a flirtatious grin. “And you know what I want for my birthday?” She leaned against one of the shelves.

“A bike?” Stiles felt flustered and panicked, and just knew whatever he had started with Derek the other day was going to be ripped to shreds if something happened.

“No, silly.” She winked at him, “To not be a seventeen year old virgin.” She gave him a serious look.

“I’m gay.” Stiles squeaked. Then moved back away, “Heather, something… we need to move. Pups.” He hissed, not that it mattered, in the blink of an eye glass was raining down on them, wine glasses exploding and uncorking. Stiles made a wild dash to grab Heather and pull her down. 

A pale scared hand caught her hair, and jerked her up. “HEATHER!” Lydia screamed from somewhere behind, and suddenly they were all rushing forward. The hand curled around Heather’s throat and tore her through the window, glass shattering. All the wine chose that moment to explode. Stiles shook, and fell back against a set of arms he was familiar with.

Roz was openly snarling. “Get home, before the Sheriff gets here.” Then she was out the window, and running along the grass.

“What the hell?” Peter growled, “We felt you're panic, lucky for you Roz and I were on our way to get chinese takeout.” He offered assistance to the wolves and Stiles, boosting each one up and out the window. “We need to move, come on, where is the Jeep parked?”

“Where is the car?” Scott asked, looking at Peter.

“We moved faster than the car.” Peter looked a little green, a little like he wanted to hurl.

“Her wings are back.” Stiles pointed upward.

Peter nodded, “A surge of emotion, one of her pups in danger, made the adrenaline pound in her loud enough that she just sort of, sprouted a new set and roared. Pretty sure Derek is on edge. We never should have let you go out tonight.”

-/-

“New Rules!” Derek nearly shouted as they all made it into the house. “We are now sure - according to Braeden, everyone say hi, that we are dealing with Julia Baccari. Which means the murders - the three we know about, if we count Heather, could be sacrificial. WHICH MEANS NO MORE GOING ANYWHERE WITH LESS THAN SIX OF YOU!” He snarled, eyes clearly on Stiles. The woman, the Braeden looked out of place in her deep crimson leather, and she chewed her lip as she waved at them.

“Derek.” Roz wheezed, slumped over the kitchen table, Melissa was digging something out of her back. “Julia/Jennifer is using ritual sacrifices to build up the perfect weapon - which one I don’t know, but virgins are always first. She also has a rather impressive arsenal of dead man's blood. GODDAMNIT!” She snarled as she wrenched back to look at Melissa who was holding what looked like a rib. “And animal bones, that she’s sharpened.”

Danny whined, “What does that mean for the Alphas.”

“I believe she’s after the alphas.” Noah said after a moment, “According to Chris, Peter, and Roz Julia was in love with Kali - the female Alpha, Kali spared her by not ending her life, believing that she would just bleed out. But the nemeton had other plans.” 

“So, what’s the plan?” Allison asked, as she looked around the room.

“Parlay.” Derek huffed. “Myself, Peter, Roz, and a handful of the best fighters are going to meet with Deucalion and his pack - we are going to reveal Julia, in the hopes that they will help us end her or, better yet they will see we aren’t working with her.” Derek sighed, “And to discuss their real reason here. Which we believe at this point to be Stiles and Roz. Both are rare.” 

“That sounds dangerous.” Noah declared.

“And stupid.” Laura muttered.

Derek glared at her. “We can’t fight Bacarri and the Alpha Pack. We are stretched thin enough as it is, with managing school, and now with Stiles noticeably being the ONLY person to see Heather before she disappeared to be murdered.” He growled. “Everyone to bed, now.”

“FUCK!” Roz snapped as another bone was removed from her back. 

Melissa looked apologetic, “That one might have been yours.”

-/-

Stiles was taken in for questioning the next day. His father couldn’t interview him, instead Tara Murdock did, another of his father’s deputies. He explained, “I went to the basement with Heather, I tripped backwards and knocked one of the wine cabinets over, she and I were cleaning it up, I went to the bathroom to grab something, and when I came back...the window was broken and she was gone.” Stiles recited the story drilled into his head by his father, and waited. 

He was released into Derek’s custody - Noah was bent over a desk and looking something over. Stiles wondered what the town thought about the Sheriff’s son being picked up by a former murder suspect, but no one said anything to them. Derek was stilted and silent on the way back to the houses. He all but darted from the car and into the Stilinski kitchen, leaving Stiles to trail behind him.

“Now that lacrosse is over, and the majority of you are in track.” Peter started, “Coach has informed us that you are all going on a travel trip this week, for a track competition.” He looked like he wanted to eat his shoe. “The twins, now in school, will no doubt be going with you.” He snapped. “So, we have arranged to parlay with the Pack on Wednesday.”

Stiles balked, “I thought I was the emissary.”

“Emissary in training.” Deaton offered, looking ill. “As it stands, I was made to contact the Alpha Pack emissary, Marilyn Morrell. She’s a cousin of mine and the woman who did your tattoos.” Deaton explained. “I should have been more active-”

“Shut up.” Roz hissed. “This is not the time for sob stories.” She looked around the room. “As the traditional laws go, we are to take some members with us. Derek is the alpha, so obviously myself and Peter are going to accompany him. Also selected: Laura, Boyd, Jackson, Scott, Lydia, and Danny. If not selected it has to do with your temperament I assure you. Allison, Melissa, Chris, and Noah will be around just in case we need back up. The rest of you - especially you two, Cora and Emmett, stay here and help protect the pack house.” 

There was a lot of groaning, “Why don’t I get to go.” Stiles asked, his voice sounding low.

Derek gave him a serious look, “I need to be able to focus on the battle, Stiles, not on you.” Stiles felt a lot like he’d been slapped. Like all the air had been pushed out of his lungs and now he was drowning in something akin to lounging and pain. Derek’s gaze left no room for dispute, he let the red bleed into his eyes, then looked back at Roz. 

“So do we know what the alpha pack is after?” Kira asked, tilting forward. With so many new people, Stiles was still learning the little quirks of everyone. Kira was probably the only person in the room he considered a pure soul. He doubted she’d ever done a single mean thing in her life. 

“They are after Roz and Derek, maybe even Stiles.” Peter supplied. “Roz, they believe, is an alpha on the vampire side. And Derek is the last born wolf in California, to inherit the alpha status without it ever leaving family bonds.” Peter explained. “We think the goal is to have them kill together, gone on bloodlust.”

“Like with Kate.” Lydia supplied.

“Like with Kate.” Peter agreed, “Then the alphas will do their best to pit them against each other.”

Roz and Derek both growled. “Ain’t gonna happen.” They said in unison. “No one here is dying because of them. I promise.” Roz added, flexing her fingers, and little tendrils of electricity tumbling from her fingertips.

-/-

Derek, Roz, Peter, Laura, Boyd, Jackson, Scott, Lydia, and Danny followed Deaton into the construction site - eventually the sweeping building would be a mall, with three total stories, but the recent murders and strange weather had prevented it from continuing on at the regular pace. Ahead of them only Deucalion stood, past him, on the second floor Derek could make out the twins - which realistically meant that Kali and Ennis were sulking around somewhere.

“Alpha to alpha, I’ve got to say, you left behind some interesting players.” Deucalion hummed.

“Alpha to alpha, fuck off.” Roz snapped, Peter’s hand curled on the nape of her neck and squeezed, hard. They didn’t need to start a pissing contest until the twins, Kali, and Ennis had revealed themselves completely, only then could Chris, Melissa, Noah, and Allison get into location for part two of the plan. 

“Mouthy child.” Deucalion chided.

“Not a child.” Roz snapped back, this time it was Danny who put his hands hard on her shoulders, drawing her back, and murmuring,  _ Not yet mom _ .

“Interesting.” Kali mocked as she slid down one of the concrete pillars, her feet and hands leaving deep clawed grooves all the way down. Ennis appeared from below, jumping through the open escalator, as the twins leapt down from above. “They all see you as mom, Roz. That makes you pack mother, means if you die - they go slowly crazy. I am going to enjoy eating your heart out.”

Derek let loose a savage roar and moved toward Kali, while Roz faced off against Deucalion. Boyd and Jackson surged forward for Ennis, while Lydia shouted, “Don't let the twins merge!” As she and Scott circled the pair, viciously. Danny lunged forward at one of the twins, just as Kali’s foot collided with Derek’s head, sending him tumbling backwards. Lydia and Laura surged forward, intent on kicking Kali’s ass, when a deafening roar sounded - Roz had Deucalion pinned against the far wall.

The twins threw Danny and Scott off like they were toddlers, merged mid leap, and collided with the back of Roz, both biting down viciously at her nape. Derek sidestepped a swipe from Ennis, who’d turned his attention solely on Derek, just as both Jackson and Boyd tore into the man’s flank, mimicking a bite they had witnessed Roz do countless times before. “Such a useless alpha!” Ennis snarled at Derek, even as Roz whirled from Dueclion, her wings carrying her backwards, she ripped the twins apart, her hands sinking into their very being and pulling them at the seams. 

“Scott! Danny!” She threw one in their direction, “Lydia help!” She threw the other one and snarled, “Laura!” As the two girls took off after the taller one chasing him, Peter caught Kali around her middle, and Jackson moved in for the kill, tantalizingly slow, the boy circled, until he and Peter had changed positions. Jackson now held the more agile and more aware wolf, while Peter sliced into her like he was nothing. Roz and Derek both turned their attention to Ennis, the bulky wolf was licking his wounds, at Deucalion's feet. The highest alpha looked bored with the proceedings. The pair moved in tandem, tackling Ennis, biting down into his veiny neck. As Derek’s claws slashed through Roz’s ribs, and his other hand found purchase in the middle of Derek’s stomach. 

Flash-bang arrows hail down on them, carved with wolfsbane and poised to kill. The Hale pack turned away from the monsters they were previously fighting - save Roz, Derek and Peter. The trio herded Ennis and Kali toward the escalator shafts, as smoke engulfed the younger wolves. “Pull back!!!” Peter shouted, as Kali slipped his grip and climbed the back of Derek, her toes sinking into his shoulders. Before Peter could say anything else, the four tumbled over the ledged and into the darkness, Ennis’s clawed hand catching in Peter’s hair, and dragging him down at the last second. 

Peter’s last fleeting thought before the darkness encompassed him was how much he hated teenagers, and how much he wished people would be punctual for once in their lives...

-/-

When the smoke cleared, the alpha pack was left standing in the abandoned construction zone. Gone even, were the deeply injured Peter, Roz, and Derek. In their wake, Deucalion found Ennis’ dead body and Kali barely hanging on. His howl, when it sounded, was both mournful and pissed. With the help of the twins, they drug Kali to Deaton’s clinic. Deaton wasn’t there, however, and Kali bled out on the table. 

-/-

Roz could barely breathe straight, with Peter holding tight to her, his eyes flickering between blood red and electric blue, they were dragging Derek behind them. They couldn’t go far, not as injured as they were. Roz led them to the cemetery, and used what was left of her strength to pry open one of the marble framed doors that once held her body, she drag them in, and looked over the rose velvet lined black casket, a satisfied smirk on her face, as she climbed into her bed of many centuries, and tumbled into sleep. Eventually Peter and Derek followed, both moaning and whimpering as they climbed into the Victorian coffin.

-/-

None of the wolves slept peacefully that night. It was all Noah and Chris could do to keep them all, Stiles included, from running headlong into the night to look for their alpha, Roz, and Peter. “I know this is scary.” Noah promised, “But you can all still fill them across the bond, I know I can.” He thumped his fingers over the tattoo. “No alpha power was passed to anyone, and there is a good chance that Roz just needed to feed before they could come home.” Noah knew the excuse sounded lame even to him, but he pushed the feeling down.

“They all three fell?” Stiles demanded. “With two from the alpha pack?”

“That’s right.” Chris nodded.

“Good odds.” Isaac tried for levity, but was met with weary eyes. “I mean, Peter’s experienced with fighting, and nothing kills him - I mean, he fucking came back from the dead! Roz is as close to immortal as we could possibly get, and Derek’s determined.”

Stiles glared at him, “Determined?” He deadpanned, then whirled on his father, “Where the hell is Alan Deaton?”

“Once they started smarting off at each other, he ran.” Laura offered, she was sitting on the couch, her knees drawn up to her chest, and tears down her face. “I can’t lose anymore people.”

“No one is lost.” Melissa snapped, then looked around the room, “Do you really think the three of them would want us all to be here throwing ourselves a pity party because they missed curfew? The rule is no one out past dark BY THEMSELVES - last I checked, those three are the most resilient assholes out of all of us, they might also need the most love, but dammit - they are going to be the three standing long after the rest of us are gone.” With that she huffed out a sigh that sounded more like a sob, “Now, get to bed, you all have a track meet tomorrow, and those alpha brats to face. I know Roz already went over the plan with you, but I want you all up by 6:35 am so we can go over it again.”

As everyone stomped off, Melissa grabbed a piece of notebook paper, and motioned for Chris and Noah to follow her into the kitchen, she messily sprawled :  _ We need to talk about what happens if they don’t bounce back from this? Chris, who would the alpha go to? _

Chris looked down at it, and sighed,  _ I don’t know - Derek’s power would go to someone, Roz’s would probably pass to Stiles. They’ve bonded, but he’d be dangerous, a threat. _

Noah grabbed the notebook, read the other twos messages and frowned, before writing out :  _ They aren’t dead, if anything they took out one of the alphas tonight, maybe two. You don’t know how messed up Roz can get if she’s over bled. Neither of you were on team human last time Derek had to drag her into the wilderness and sick her on demented and deranged psychopaths for a full night. _

Chris blinked and looked at Melissa, “So, we hold off on plans until tomorrow.”

“Yeah, bedtime.” Noah ordered them away, then leaned against his counter, and checked his phone. He waited until he was sure everyone was sleeping before he grabbed the blood from the fridge and several of the wolfsbane antidotes. There was only one place other than the sunken hotel she’d ever taken him and called  _ private _ , now he knew it to be her ‘resting’ place.

He almost made it to the door, when Erica and Cora caught his arms. “We are going too.” Erica said evenly. “To help extract the wolfsbane.” She clarified. 

“And the buddy system.” Cora added thoughtfully, just as Camden peaked over the couch. “Go back to sleep, the Sheriff got a call - Erica and I are going.” Camden nodded and dropped his head back down on Jordan and Isaac. 

-/-

The cemetery at night was never his favorite place to go, and it had been over 20 years since he’d willingly gone into this particular cemetery. They called it the Pioneer Cemetery, there were several standing tombs amongst the headstones, the one that screamed vampire - however wasn’t hers. 

The understated marble doors with simple Rowan wood inlay into the black finish, with a slightly cracked front door belonged to Roz. He motioned them forward, and breathed a content sigh when he saw not only Roz, but also Peter and Derek. All weeping blood, but all definitely breathing if the steady rise and fall of their chest were anything to go by. “Roz?” Noah whispered into the darkness, and received no answer.

Cora and Erica trailed in, securing the door behind them, and frowned. “It’s called going to ground.” Cora shivered, “Wolves only do it when mortally wounded, Vampires can do it whenever. It’s an energy restoration process. Hook the blood and the antidotes, we need grave soil, and lots of it - come on, Erica.”

Admiring their handy work it was later than any of them wanted to be there. They’d cracked the coffin stuffing it with hallowed ground - after Noah had set up something akin to an IV drip for the blood and antibiotics now coursing through their bodies. Erica and Cora huddled together as the first rays of the morning light streamed into the tomb. “It’ll be a couple hours before they wake.” Cora observed.

“You head home.” Erica looked expectantly at Noah. “Head home, and we can watch over them. If we aren’t home by the morning, send Melissa and Chris?”

“Sure.” Noah assured them, he rubbed both their heads and headed to his parked car, unaware of the situation that was headed their way, spiraling out of control.

-/-

Twin number one - or more accurately Ethan, slid into the seat next to Danny. The wolf bristled as the young alpha gave him a long look. “You're alpha and those other two killed Ennis and Kali.” Ethan hissed. “Aiden and I are both supposed to take you guys out.” He looked out the window. “The thing is, Kali brought us into the pack, and she was like our mom… We aren’t enough for Deucalion. He wants all three of them, now, and then he won’t need us.”

The soft whine that fell from Ethan made Danny reach out tentatively and curl a hand around his wrist. “When mom comes back,” Danny started, “We can talk about helping you two.” Ethan bristled, and jerked from him to look out the window as the bus filled up. Danny wasn’t sure what to make about the coming trip. He watched as Stiles and Scott shuffled on, looking lost and irritable. He scented the air and could trace Lydia, Allison, Erica and Laura’s scents behind them. Twin number two - Aiden was glowering even as Ethan clambered into the seat next to him. 

There was no way this was going to turn out good, or even remotely ok. Already their morning had been off to a weird start. Noah had been the one to see them all off instead of Melissa, after reiterating their rules : “Do not engage the twin alphas, do not accidently show off your wolf powers, do not do anything that would make hunters want to kill you, have fun, kick ass at the track meet, and most importantly remember to smile when you place.” 

Now, though it was strange to think that they were driving four hours up the coast, and away from their alpha, Roz, and Peter just to run and be ‘normal’ teenagers for a little while. Stiles wanted to whine about how utterly unfair it was. The meet was set to start at eight that night, so they didn’t leave until after school let out, but as far as he knew no one had managed to find Derek, Roz, or Peter, which had him further on edge. Not to mention all of the wolves who had attended the Parlay with them just forty-eight or so hours before seemed to blame themselves. 

Some of the wolves had wounds that still hadn’t healed. Deaton had suggested that because they came from an unfamiliar alpha or maybe because they felt guilty it would take longer. Stiles knew for a fact Laura was pretty distraught over it, so much to the point she and Lydia were clutching hands in Allison’s car as it trailed behind them. Erica in the front seat probably fiddling with the music. Jackson had a gash across his chest that wouldn’t heal, Boyd’s thighs were both ripped up, Scott’s ribs unhealing, and Danny, he had a slight limp, from a bone that was refusing to fuse back together in his left calf. 

The bus ride had already been long and awkward, and Stiles was cramped against Scott, basically holding him up. “Its my fault.” The wolf whined, “I got them killed.”

“We don’t know that they are dead.” Stiles huffed, and fidgeted with his Batman shirt, Erica had practically flung it at him early and screeched that it smelled like a  _ pack  _ which he took to mean it smelled like  _ Derek. _

“God.” Boyd snapped and looked back at Scott, “Were all hurt, alright, stop being a brat.”

Stiles glowered at the wolf, “I think we need to take a break.” He stood and shuffled to the front of the bus, “Coach, I have to pee.”

“It’s been two hours, Bilinski.” Coach Flintstock hadn’t even bothered to look up from the magazine he was lazily flipping through. 

“But I really have to go.” He whined.

Coach stood, and blew his whistle in Stiles' face, “SIT DOWN!”

Stiles glared at him, then headed back to the rear, when a wicked idea hit him, “Hey… Davenport, you get carsick easily don’t you…”

-/-

Melissa was ruffling through the soil, when her hand connected with something solid. “Oh, thank god.” She breathed, as she looked back at Noah and Chris, they both seemed unphased and waited for her to do something, anything really, to show them what she was so damn pleased about. She drew her hands up, unearthing a pale face as she went. “They are here still.” Chris and Noah shared a sigh of relief then immediately started helping her dig out the soil.

Peter and Derek were both curled up, in on themselves, and Roz looked more like sleeping beauty that she should, with her wings unfurled and wrapped around them. The soil immediately under them was twinged crimson with a mixture of wolfsbane and blood. “Lord.” Chris whispered, his eyes wide as he worked on dusting their faces off. Noah was attempting to wake Roz with sharp taps to her face. 

“This is way out of my league.” Melissa frowned, as Chris opened his own form of doctor's bag, and handed her the largest syringe she had ever seen. “What the hell is that?”

“It’s called 9 Herbs, and it will heal any Supernatural creature.” Chris offered, resolute. “We will need more for supply purposes after this, but I figure dosing the three of them up could only go one of two ways - homicidal alphas or our happy family all makes it to the track meet in time.” 

“Alphas?” Noah echoed.

“We don’t know who killed Ennis or Kali, what we do know is that Peter was fighting Kali in the fall, there is a good chance her spark will have passed to him. As far as Ennis you said you were sure Roz had his neck in her mouth, either way I doubt there is only one alpha when we wake them up.” Chris didn’t sound as uncomfortable as he could about that. “When they kill Deucalion, that kill will no doubt be Derek’s, it's his right as first alpha, but the twins… those are free game.” 

“Can our pack survive Peter being an alpha again?” Melissa was looking pointedly at Noah.

He shrugged his shoulders hard, “I think so.” He cleared his throat, “Roz won’t wake up on her own. She won’t come back from him being killed.” He looked at Chris who raised his arms in defeat, then nudged the 9 Herbs at Melissa.

“Like an adrenaline shot.” Chris toned. 

-/-

They stopped at a rest area just off the highway, which proved to be great for Allison because her car had promptly decided to run out of gas, Laura ever the helpful wolf had sniffed under the hood and declared, “You have a fuel leak. Seems like the alpha pack have us cornered, yet again.”

Erica rolled her eyes and stormed to Coach Flintstock, “We need to ride the rest of the way to the meet on the bus.” He blinked at her, uncertain. “We are going to support Beacon Hills, please?”

Cora who had stepped off the bus with Malia and Sydney didn’t look at all surprised, “Yeah, cupcake.” Cora laughed, “We need all the support we can get today, trust me.” Once he was out of hearing distance - “You have to do something about Scott, Allison. He’s in the bathroom with Stiles, Jackson and Boyd.” She gazed at Erica and Lydia, “You two, help your boyfriends or whatever. Because once Jackson is feeling better I think Danny might…” She chewed nervously on her bottom lip.

“Problems?” Aiden teased from behind Malia, who whirled a snarl on her lips.

“Not here.” Kira grabbed her arm, and jerked her back. With the majority of them in both track and lacrosse there was never an ‘alone’ moment for the wolves, thankfully. As the rest of the pack stalked off towards the bathrooms, Ethan watched them go.

“Why do you have to piss them off?” He whined, pointedly at Aiden. 

“Because fuck face, they aren’t our friends, I doubt they let us in their pack when all is over.” Aiden snapped at his brother.

The pair were interrupted when Isaac walked literally between them bumping both their shoulders, “I don’t know, depends on if our Alpha, pack mom, or creeperwolf are dead. They might actually let you join up, they like to bring in strays, but the rest of us… best hope none of us inherit the alpha because we will  _ gut _ you.” With that he took Cora’s offered hand, and the pair disappeared into the bathroom.

Inside Allison managed to stitch Scott’s side up, Lydia was working on stitching Jackson up, Erica had Boyd’s pants down and was working with Cora and Isaac to bandage and stitch him up, while Malia and Stiles were working patiently on realigning Danny’s broken bone. “This day can not get any worse.” Sydney whined where Kira was wrapped around her. 

Brett and Theo both shrugged, because it could in fact get a lot worse. 

-/-

Roz shot up first, a pained roar echoing through the cemetery around them. “Thank god.” Noah grumbled as he muscled her into a half hug, her eyes were crimson and bright, almost neon red, as she took in her surroundings. Next, Melissa moved to Derek, who much like Roz roared back to life in such a manner that had Chris scrambling to help him from the grave soil, his eyes deep red pools of irritation as he took in the scene around him, “How long were we out?”

“About two days.” Noah was still hugging Roz as Melissa stabbed Peter Hale in the heart, it brought her a weird sense of happiness considering he had once tried to bite her without her permission, things still weren’t completely ok between them, but this seemed to make her a little less angry with him, he roared - his own eyes candy apple red as he scrambled to embrace both Noah and Roz.

“I wish I could say that was unexpected.” Chris sighed as he looked heavenward, his phone vibrated in his pocket - a text from Allison, he read it over and groaned, “Ally’s car is out of gas, they’ve only made it about three hours out of town, and Laura thinks she smells a fuel leak. I suppose this is something the Alpha Pack might do, although now I’d wager we have three alphas on our side.”

Derek had moved to hug both Roz and Peter, the three seemed eerily in sync. They’d each held alpha sparks before - Roz without knowing it, Peter had killed to have it and died to be rid of it, and Derek who held his own Hale Spark close to his chest. “The twins with them?”

“Sounds like.” Chris hummed, “What are you three thinking?”

“I’m just glad we aren’t dead.” Peter muttered, shivering a little as Noah and Roz helped him out of the casket, “And once more reminded that I wasn’t really good at the whole alpha thing, so when we figure out how to de-alpha the twins we should maybe de-alpha me too?”

“Assuming the twins will waiver to our side?” Roz hummed, “I hadn’t thought that angle, they can’t be more than 20 each, too old for high school obviously, but so am I…” She hummed, “I bet they would benefit from a real pack structure among other things. Also we stink.” She crinkled up her nose, irritated.

“Showers?” Melissa suggested.

Derek nodded, and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, he liked Melissa, she was a good second pack-mom, and the only one determined to kick ass purely for the benefit of them all, no alternative agendas. His phone, however chirped in his pocket before he could further the idea along, he pulled it out to see ‘witchhunter’ was calling him, he immediately handed the phone off to Roz.

“Breaden.” She hummed. 

“I’ve found your witch, and if you're ready, the time to kill her would be now.” Breaden offered. “Let’s just say I left her a gift, thanks to Deaton, in the form of her dearly departed Kali.”

Roz’s face upturned in a vicious smile, “I’ve missed you Braeden.” She hummed softly, “Your payment will come in due time, text me your location and we will meet you there.” 

Chris had a frown, “So?”

“Lets go kill a Durach.” Peter looked much too pleased with that idea. 

-/-

Back on the bus, Allison was wedged between Scott and Stiles, Stiles was giving the whole of the bus a serious once over, adding four teenage girls should have not have made things as awkward or tight, but there was a clear path in the middle, and the back three rows were uncomfortably tight with members of the Beacon Pack. “We shouldn’t have come.” Stiles declared after a long moment, “We should have waited for Derek…” His voice trailed off, cracking.

There was a lot of emotion there he wasn’t prepared for. 

Scott gave him a strange look, “I can smell the sadness on you.” He admitted, soft, then looked at them all, “There is safety in numbers, and as far as we know you're dad and Chris can protect mom better than anyone else right now.”

Stiles shuddered at the thought, “Yeah, well, there is also death in numbers, okay? It’s called a massacre… or bloodbath, carnage, slaughter, butchery, wow, that’s… all right, Scott, we have to tell the coach that we need our parents to come get us.” He made to stand up but Allison caught his wrist and yanked him back down, wordlessly shaking her head no, and motioning at both of the alpha twins who were listening pointedly.

It was at that moment that Laura nearly climbed over the seat behind them and into Stiles’ lap, “Looky here, brother.” She waved her phone in front of his face, which had a text message from Peter’s contact (Zombiewolf). 

From Zombiewolf 7:38pm >> _ Breaden found Darach, we are on our way to kill her. Derek ok. Roz ok. Chris, Melissa, Noah with us. Will update. Keep eyes on twins. Also, big discussions when you get home. Let teenwolves know.  _

Stiles let out a breath he hadn’t known he was holding, and quickly her phone was passed around, as the wolves read it their faces lit up, and their gazes turned toward the alpha twins, who had apparently also received news of the worst sort. Ethan and Aiden both looked ready to cry. Stiles swallowed, stood and made his way to them, “Are you two ok?” He asked softly. “Our victory can only mean something bad happened to…”

“Kali was like our mom.” Ethan said evenly, not looking at Stiles.

“The second one we lost.” Aiden added.

Stiles bit his bottom lip, “You know Roz isn’t my real mom?” He sat down ahead of them, and turned back to talk to them. Both wolves looked at him confused, “She was my real mom's mate, and my dad's mate, but things got complicated and she let my mom and dad have a normal life, she only came back into my life maybe two months ago. If that.” Stiles offered, “She’s not my first mom but she is a mom, to almost all of us.”

They had barely gone thirty minutes up the road from the rest stop when the bus was once again slowing down, with darkness encroaching them. Ethan looked ready to say something to Stiles, when Coach spoke, “Listen up.” He blew the whistle to get their attention, “The meet’s been pushed until tomorrow. This is the closest motel with the most vacancies and the least amount of good judgement when it comes to accepting a bunch of degenerates like yourselves.You’ll be pairing up. Choose wisely. And I’ll have no sexual perversions perpetrated by you little deviants. Got that?” He blew the whistle again for emphasis, “Keep your dirty little hands to your dirty little selves.” 

Ahead of them a lonely looking motel pulled into view. The Glen Capri Motel. In his mind Stiles had already renamed it Motel Hell. Stiles looked at Scott, and frowned. It would be odd enough to stay here overnight away from the pack, both Ethan and Aiden looked uncomfortable, Coach pointed and started talking again. “You four in the back, tagalongs, will be sharing one room. Sorry.” With that he shrugged his shoulders, and resumed settling whatever he needed to with the busdriver.

“This just got worse.” Brett huffed, beside him Theo nodded. 

Scott and Allison shared a look, before Scott whispered, “This place was in Roz’s memories, a hunter killed himself here to avoid turning into a wolf, I don’t know the full story, but I think he was an Argent.” Stiles just blinked at him, and frowned.

They were being ushered off the bus when Lydia took Jackson’s hand and let Danny wrap an arm around her, “I don’t like this place.”

“The people who own it don’t like it.” Cora quirked, before rubbing Lydia’s shoulder and taking Isaac’s hand, Kira trailed them, just as Erica and Boyd bumped into them. 

“It's just for one night, Lyds.” Allison tried to sooth.

Lydia shook her head sadly, “A lot can happen in one night.”

Stiles stood with his pack as everyone sorted into rooms. Malia and Sydney with Kira and Cora, Boyd and Isaac, Jackson and Danny, Brett and Theo with Emmett, Scott and Stiles, then Laura, Allison, Erica and Lydia. To no one's surprise the alpha twins paired together. Stiles' phone vibrated in his pocket, and he pulled it out to see a text from Lorilee.

From: Baby Wolf >> _ There is a head on our kitchen table. They are crazy when you are not here. Please come home soon.  _

Attached was a picture message that made his stomach churn. He quickly showed it Laura, who smiled a little. “Wonder how Camden and Jordan liked baby-sitting Lorilee today?” She sounded a little wispy even as she said it, before steering them towards the hotel. “Everyone in Stiles and Scott's room in thirty minutes.” She ordered, before Coach started handing out room keys. The rest of the track team would no doubt avoid the odd group that was the Beacon Pack.

-/-

Noah was starting to think he would be better on the pack clean up crew, because here lately torching bodies had become his very troubling specialty. Braeden and Roz had been absolute in their order that the Darach’s head had to be separated from its body, now there was a severed head on his dining room table, and Lorilee kept poking it with a chopstick.

“Where did they go?” Melissa asked, with Derek behind, still wolfed out, red eyes on the head.

“Chris, Roz, and Peter went to get cement and a tote, Roz wants to bury the head close by.” Braeden grabbed a cup of coffee, gave Derek a bewildered look then sat down, across from Lorilee. “It's lucky that we didn’t have to kill her at the nemeton, that would have upset the balance of nature. Which Roz has already done countless times this year alone.” She sipped on her coffee, and rolled her shoulders.

Noah gave Melissa a confused look, the pair unsure what that meant, “So, anyone heard from the kids?” Melissa finally asked. At this Derek perked up and pressed his snout into Noah’s side.

“I got a text message from Stiles, they are going to be staying overnight at some creepy hotel that Lydia doesn’t like. The meet was apparently moved to tomorrow. It sounds like they are fine.” He fished his phone out, “According to Stiles, ‘Project Alpha Twins’ might be underway whatever the hell that is.”

The front door opened, with both Camden and Jordan spilling in. They looked at the severed head, shrugged and immediately started setting chinese down around it. “Is this normal?” Melissa flailed her arms a little bit, “Will there often be heads?” 

“I don’t think so.” Breaden offered, “Anyways, I’ve yet to receive my payment.”

Roz swept in then, Chris holding a tote, and Peter with a bag of concrete mix under his arm, “Hush, brat.” Roz sneered at Breaden, before she hugged Noah, pressing a kiss to his pulse point, then focused once more on the witch hunter, “It’s been at least a century and a half since we were in the same country.”

“For good reason.” Breaden almost smiled.

“We share a grand-sire.” Roz explained, “The vampire who made Laurent also made the vampire, Kreaton, who turned Breaden. We are both Death Dealers.” Chris balked at her, “Breaden managed to return home to her family once she had enough control and turned them into the witch hunters, the magical mercenaries we all know and love. When I took Laurent out, I also killed Kreaton, which brought me face to face with their sire, Cassin, as well as set me on the path to find her, at first I thought I was just going to hunt down the remainders of Cassin’s line and kill them off, which I did. Cassin was an old world, original, vampire. Breaden, however, convinced me not to kill her.”

Breaden glared, “I’ve outlived my entire family, they are all dead.”

“Except me.” Roz corrected.

“Except the other monster made by a vampire's bite, we share some DNA.” Breaden conceded.

“So I offered her a unique payment, placement here within our pack. It would suit us well to have another vampire, one that is one hundred percent vamp, and with both Camden and Jordan it would make sense to have two vampires. Usually one hellhound per vamp.” She added, quickly, “Plus it’s no fun to be the last of your kind.” There was a sadness in her tone that made Noah cling tighter to her, the last of the first Hale pack, the last of her family? He didn’t know everything she was the last of, but he knew she was miserable - or had been.

“I accept.” Derek grunted out through his shift, “You're welcome in our pack.”

“I agree with my mate-to-be and nephew, so what is your first name, Braeden?”

The witch hunter frowned, “Eliza.” Then looked at the severed head, “We should dispose of this.”

“Agreed.” Melissa already had Clorox wipes in hand and looked ready to scrub the whole kitchen.

-/-

“Anything less than a five star accommodation gives me hives.” Lydia whispered fiercely under her breath, as she paced the hallway outside their room, number 211. She wanted to scream, her heart pounding in her ears, and her skin electrified in a strange way, like she needed to do something, but she had no clue what. Eventually she sat down outside of the room Stiles and Scott had been given and waited for one of them to come out. 

Scott and Stiles were going over what they knew. Obviously Kali at least was dead, which meant one of two things - Derek killed her OR Roz/Peter was an alpha, both of which were surprisingly ok in Stiles book, even with everything he’d done recently. “I’m going to get snacks.” Stiles declared, fishing his wallet and card out of his jacket, before heading out of the room. He almost fell over Lydia, who he helped stand, and let her wrap around him. “It’s scary here.” He muttered into her strawberry blonde hair, the banshee-wolf nodded.

They were on the second floor, room 215, so they had to duck down the stairs to the first floor, and dart under a darkened alley, to find the vending machine, where Boyd was already sort of loitering, “Hey big guy.” He offered to Boyd, who oddly didn’t respond. Stiles wondered if Boyd was upset about something, maybe upset with him, but Boyd and Erica had been closer to him than anyone following the escape from Gerard so he shook it off, and tried to punch in what he wanted.

The machine went through the motions but didn’t give him the candy he selected. Irritated, he attempted to shake the machine, he froze when Boyd punched through the glass, “Thanks?” Stiles watched him retreat with a shake of his head, and a frown on his lips. He quickly scooped up all the snacks he knew the pack liked, handed off the first harmful to Lydia, then the pair headed back up to Scotty. 

Scott, however, wasn't in the room. Erica and Laura were. “This place is wrong.” Laura huffed, and hugged herself, “Maybe it's my connection to Roz, I don’t know, but this place feels… feels like death.” She chanced a glance at Stiles who nodded. “Anyway where is Scott?”

“He was here when I left?” Stiles ventured just as Malia, Sydney, Kira, Brett, Theo, and Emmett spilled in, their noses twitching just as violently as Laura’s. “Whoa, what’s wrong?” He blinked, as their eyes flashed between human and neon, quickly he drug out all his laundry and tossed it at them, “Human in the room who doesn’t want to die.” His scent seemed to calm them down.

“Stiles.” Laura bit out, “There is something here, affecting the wolves.” She barely had time to get it out before her beta shift pulled forward.

“Oh-h-kay.” He hissed, “Get to the bus, all of you, keep whatever of my scent you are holding and get to the bus, I’ll get the others. Even the twin dicks.” He grumbled, as he herded them out of the room, and into the hallway, “Go on, Laura, lead them to the bus.” He watched as Erica, Laura, Lydia, Malia, Sydney, Kira, Brett, Theo, and Emmett headed back.

“Stiles.” Emmett pointed up, to where he could see Danny and Jackson watching in their own wolf forms.

“Jackson, Danny, down here  _ now! _ ” He barked, both surprisingly followed, “Go with Laura.” Next he found Ethan, surprisingly, “Hey, man, can you go out to the bus, there is something in the hotel affecting wolves - this isn’t a trap!”

“I can hear your heartbeat dumbass, I know.” He paused, “Any clue where my brother is?”

Stiles shook his head, and barreled towards Allison’s room, “Ally, come on, you gotta get outta here, get back to the bus!” Allison was similarly wolfed out, her eyes blue and neon. Stiles frowned, before he hugged her, the girl buried her face in his neck and inhaled sharp, she seemed to understand him better, once his scent was in her nose, and immediately headed for the bus as he had told her. 

Stiles did a quick head count, that left Scott, Aiden, Isaac, and Boyd. He frowned, and pulled at his hoodie a little bit. He could do this, he could. He just needed to focus. He made his way to the front reception to figure out which rooms were rented to the team, in hopes of narrowing down where the wolves might be. Immediately his eyes are drawn to the number  **198** which was above the woman.

Stiles blinked, “Innocent numbers, what are those for?” He asked, curious.

“Well, we know we aren’t anyone's top five. It is more of my husband's idea of a joke. We are  _ the _ motel in California with the highest number of guest suicides.” Stiles almost took a step back, there was a wicked glint in the woman's eyes, “198 in the last 40 years.” She continued on the topic like it was nothing, and something clicked inside of Stiles.

The motel was just far enough out of Beacon Hills, hunters and wolves alike would have used it in Talia and maybe even Meredith’s hayday. He paled, and stepped back, muttering under his breath about statistics, “We’re talking 40 years, on average that is about 4 or 5 a year, which is actually expected… but who frames it?” He grumbled and continued stalking the rooms, completely forgetting to ask the woman at the desk about the room numbers.

Stiles found Boyd by the ice machine, crying and muttering about ‘Alicia’. Stiles froze, Alicia was his younger sister who had been kidnapped in their youth. “Hey big guy.” Stiles tried, tugging on his shoulders to get his attention, instead he got a yellow eyed wolf roar to the face. “Man we got to find Isaac?” But Boyd was already tearing away from him, seemingly lost in whatever memory of Alicia he had.

“Fuck.” Stiles hissed. 

Darting up the stairs Stiles could feel the panic rising inside him, when he heard Isaac’s voice, or better yet Isaac’s voice doing an impression of his father. Stiles rounded to room 201, and paused, long enough to hear an argument. “ISAAC LET ME IN!” Stiles roared, banging on the door with enough strength to make it shake, but not enough to pull Isaac out of his own memories.

Stiles was starting to feel unable to help. He still didn’t know where Aiden or Scott were, and to make matters worse Boyd and Isaac seem to be stuck in some sort of… dream memory loop of only the bad things. He chanced a glance back at the bus to see all the wolves watching him with neon eyes. That’s the absolute last thing he needs is for the pack to think he’s hurt. 

“It’s all good guys, gonna break into Isaac’s room, ok?” With that he pulled his dad's credit card out of his pocket and started to work on the lock. It was the sound of an electric hand saw, however that had him pause, “Shit.” He stood, and immediately rushed towards it. 

Stiles didn’t even try the door handle, he just shoved his way through it to find Aiden in the middle of the room, a handsaw angled at his stomach, “NO!” Stiles shouted, concerned. He ran forward, grabbed the handsaw, the pair struggled and grappled, Aiden couldn’t tell who he was or didn’t care, his voice was pitched low and he kept muttering about getting something  _ out.  _ Finally Stiles managed to fling the handsaw, nearly falling onto it, in the same go, he jerked the cord from the wall and looked up at the alpha. 

No longer holding the handsaw, he gouged at his own stomach with his claws, determination on his face. Stiles, aware he might not see the light of day, dove at the wolf. He grabbed one arm, and the nape of his neck like he had seen Derek do countless times, for a moment Aiden’s eyes blazed angry at him, then… he blinked, the red fading and a confused look plastered on his face. Stiles hugged him. “Ohmygawd man, you scared me.” Stiles had his hands still on him as he drug him from the room, “You have to get to the bus, ok?”

Aiden continued to blink at him, “Alpha?” He whispered at Stiles wide-eyed.

Stiles just decided to roll with it, “Bus,  _ now _ .” He watched after Aiden to make sure he made it Ethan, the other wolf clutching his twin desperately. Stiles knew where Isaac was, but still needed to find Boyd and Scott. It was a radio that ultimately gave Boyd’s position away, in the room that used to belong to Laura, Erica, Allison, and Lydia. Stiles couldn’t hear any actual talking on the radio, from outside it sounded a lot like static, but he could hear Boyd’s familiar growl.

“Boyd don’t do anything stupid, ok?” Stiles pushes against the door and finds it locked, in irritation, he growled, “BOYD OPEN THE DOOR!” The shout comes out more panicked than Stiles thought possible, because he was fairly sure that he heard the water turn on. “Alright, big guy.” Stiles growled, before working his license into the door jam, like he had started with Isaac’s. He manages to get the door open with limited flailing.

Rushing to the bathroom, the tub was full, Boyd was laying in it, eyes open, and golden, with a safe on his chest. “NO!” Stiles snarled, grabbing at the drain, only to ding that it was blocked. Moving the safe seemed impossible, he knew it had to weigh too much, but he figured it couldn’t hurt. He climbed into the tub, alongside Boyd, standing over him, and pushed the safe until it was almost over his face, before getting both his hands under one side. 

Using all his strength, with his leg muscles, he pushed, until the safe slowly rose, and after what felt like an hour of struggling, toppled over the side, Boyd rose with a growl, his claws piercing Stiles’ shoulders. “BOYD!” Stiles nearly screamed, dragging the wolf still snarling into a hug, “Come on man, snap out of it!” Again he went for the nape of his neck, pinching hard. The wolf shook his head, and snorted.

“Stiles?” He sounded so little.

“There is something wrong with the hotel, come on man.” Stiles climbed out, soaking wet, and helped pull Boyd out, “I need you to help me get to Isaac. Then the pair of you are going to the bus, do you understand me?” Boyd nodded, but threaded his fingers through Stiles, like Stiles was somehow grounding him to the living world, maybe he was.

Stiles squeezed his hand back.

There was no noise coming from Isaac’s room, but Boyd whined, and hit the door with enough force to knock it off the hinges. Stiles peered around the room, and looked to Boyd, who pointed downward. Stiles found Isaac under the bed, “Oh, Izzy.” Stiles murmured, before giving up all hopes of dignity, and climbing under the bed with him. 

Isaac attempted to flee, but was met with Boyd’s firm hands at his back, the wolf screamed, as Stiles wrapped him in a hug, “Shhh, smell alpha.” Boyd ordered, and pushed Isaac’s face into Stiles’ neck. Stiles flushed as Isaac's open mouth licked him, and then seemed to settle. 

Before Stiles could order the betas back to the bus a chorus of howls had all three of them running out of the room to the first floor landing. Stiles almost screamed, because Scott was standing with a lit flare, in a puddle of something, his whole body doused in it. Stiles gave both Isaac and Boyd a look, “Get on the bus.” He ordered them, they both did, much more subdued than he thought possible, both glancing nervously at Scott.

Aware the wolves could hear everything he was about to say Stiles took careful steps to Scott. “Scott?” Stiles ventured once he was close enough, eyes wide.

“There is no hope.” Scott whined.

“What do you mean? There is always hope.” Stiles tried. 

Scott shook his head, “Not for me. Not for Derek. Not for Roz. Not for Peter.”

“They weren’t your fault, and you know they are alive, feel for them.” Stiles trued.

Scott let out a noise of anxiety, “Every time I try to fight back, it just gets worse. People keep getting hurt. People keep getting killed.”

Stiles opened his mouth and closed it twice before he started again, “Scott, listen to me, okay? This isn’t you, alright? This is someone inside your head telling you to do this. Okay, now…”

While Stiles was thinking about what he needed Scott to do, Scott started talking, “What if it isn’t? What if it is just me? What if doing this is actually the best thing that I could do for everyone else? It all started that night, the night I got bitten. You remember the way it was before that? You and me… we were… we were… we were nothing. We weren’t popular. We weren’t good at lacrosse. We weren’t important. We were no one. Maybe I should just be no one again. No one at all.”

The bus seemed to collectively whine. Stiles on the other hand, was not in the mood, he took a careful step toward Scott, “Scott, just listen to me, okay? You're not no one. Okay? You're someone…. You're my best friend, Scott. Okay? And I need you?” He stepped into the puddle, and placed his hand over Scott’s on the flare. “Scott, you're my brother. All right, so… so if you're gonna do this, then… I think you're just gonna have to take me with you, all right?” He licked his lips and grabbed the nape of Scott’s neck.

“I would like you to throw it.” Roz’s voice broke the night, and both Scott and Stiles looked at her. Scott immediately tossed it to Roz, who curled the flame up in her hand. Scott looked so confused, as Roz shifted to a more human appearance, “Stiles called out to me, across our bond.” She hugged Stiles and Scott then looked at the others, “I’m going to assume you had this under control.”

“I did.” Stiles assured her.

“Then by all means, continue on.” She turned toward the motel. “I have a set of witches to kill.”

Stiles just blinked at her, “Need help?”

“I think they need you more right now, prince.” She tossed him a duffle bag, “Clean clothes for everyone.” With that he watched her stalk away, and into the receptionist office. He knew he had trouble ignoring the screams that came in the next few moments, but it did make him wonder about the wolves - if the noise bothered them at all. 

-/-

How they all slept tangled in each other on the bus didn’t make much sense, and to be honest Coach looked more amused than worried as he clapped his hands to wake them up. “I don’t want to know. I really don’t want to know, but in case you missed the announcement, the meet’s cancelled, so we’re heading home. Pack it in. pack it in!” He was waving his arms and ordering the rest of the track team onto the bus.

Aiden had his head on Stiles’ thigh, Ethan had tangled his hand in Stiles hoodie at some point. “I don’t know what happened last night, but I’m pretty sure you saved my life.” Aiden said softly.

“Actually, I saved your life.” Stiles countered. “And you called me alpha.”

“It’s because you are one, or will be one.” Ethan murmured, as Danny grunted in his hold.

“So what now?” Stiles asked the pair.

“Can we come home with you?” Aiden said after a long silence.

Stiles nodded his head, as Laura jumped up, “Coach, can I see your whistle?”

Roz climbed on the front of the bus, at that moment, a slight smile on her face, “Hello Coach.”

“You were on this trip?” He blinked, surprised, as she grabbed his whistle and crushed it in her hand. “Detention when we get back!” He shouted at her, she just smirked and pushed past him.

“Welcome to the pack, twins.” She patted Ethan and Aiden’s head, and climbed onto Isaac’s lap. “So, the Darach put wolfsbane in the coach's whistle, she also had a set of underlings here at the hotel, waiting in the wings. There was never an away meet, and it was never postponed. All of this was to get you here, to kill the wolves so she wouldn’t have to deal with us as a strong pack. She didn’t expect three alphas, a Braeden, a former hunter, a nurse, and a sheriff to behead her in her loft, however… they never do.” She ran her hand over Stiles head, “You did good, pup.”

Once the bus was quiet, Allison leaned over to Roz. “My cousin Alexander died in that hotel, correct?” Roz nodded, “What was the name of the alpha that bit him?”

“Deucalion.” She huffed.

☽♚♛♚☾

**May 2 1977**

**Outside of Beacon Hills, California**

“Meredith, I know what I smelt.” Roz snapped. “Hunter, and Duke and his band of misfits.” The pair were standing at the Eastern end of the preserve, past the land that technically was under Hale protection. “And neither have any right to be here.” She snapped.

“I’ll sort out Duke, you find the hunter and offer him asylum.” Meredith ordered, she was getting stronger, more sure of herself. Roz nodded at her friend, and took off running, weaving through the trees. The pair found Deucalion hovering over the downed hunter, his fangs out and blood on his mouth.

“I bit the Argent prince.” The mad wolf laughed, his voice pitched high and garbled. “I killed them all.” Behind him his pack was dead, slaughtered, and so were the hunters. The Argent had regained his composure, he shot a compressed round of wolfsbane at Roz, who had been slinking forward, then took off into the night just as Meredith tackled Duke to the ground. He was a young alpha, and stupid.

Roz caught up with him almost three hours out of Beacon Hills, same as Meredith who leapt over the hybrid and sank her own teeth into him, over Duke’s bite. The hunter screamed, and smashed them both in the face with a lance of sorts dipped in wolfsbane, then ran into the motel. 

☽♚♛♚☾

Once they were all home, Ethan and Aiden included, Peter led them into the war room. “We need to have some serious discussions.” He grumbled, “About the last member of the Alpha pack, and other possible problems.” He looked stricken, as he stood at the head of the table, to Derek’s left, with Roz to Derek’s right. 

They’d been home long enough for everyone to hug and scent each other, and for everyone to brought up on the additions of Breaden, Ethan, and Aiden - as well as the death of the Darach, sadly it looked like Derek would be taking her place  _ temporarily _ as their substitute teacher, it was a way for him to stay near enough the pack but also to keep an eye on everyone else. He apparently had a teaching degree, as did Laura. 

“Why does that sound horrible?” Melissa huffed, her arms around Scott’s shoulders, “Please, for the love of God tell me something good, for once?”

The three at the head of the table shared a dark look, then Roz spoke. “We need to talk about a tree.” She bent slightly and trailed her fingers along the edges of an old tomb, until she found what she was looking for, prying the ancient book open, and sliding it to rest between Lydia and Stiles. 

“The Nemeton to be exact.” Peter explained, “It is the Beacon part of Beacon Hills’ namesake.” 

Roz laughed, “Ancient Celtic druids would usually choose a large, older tree in a grove. It would represent the center of the world. There was a belief that cutting or harming the tree in any way would cause serious problems for the surrounding villages.”

“What sort of problems?” Scott asked, cocking his head to the side. 

“Fires, plagues, strife, death and destruction of all kinds.” Peter muttered. “Also, uhm, occasionally they would make sure that disagreements were settled.”

Roz rolled her eyes and waved a hand, “The older wolves had a relationship with the druids. They called them emissaries. Do you know the myth of Lycaon?”

“I know it's where we get the word lycanthropy.” Isaac sounded, the whole kitchen was full of the pack. At this point everyone was wedged so tightly together, it almost seemed wrong when they weren’t. 

“According to myth, some Greek citizens believed they owed their lives more to Prometheus than to the gods of Olympus. And some followers even took names to honor the Titans instead of the Gods.” Roz continued.

“Like Deucalion. The son of Prometheus.” Stiles declared.

“Lycaon didn't just refuse to honor the gods. He challenged them. He invited Zeus to a banquet and then tried to serve him the flesh of a human being. Angered, Zeus blew the place apart with lightning bolts and then punished Lycaon and his sons by turning them into wolves.” Peter continued.

“The part that's lesser known is how Lycaon sought out the druids to help turn him back to human.” Derek brushed things over. 

Boyd quirked an eyebrow. “Why druids?”

“The belief was that the ancient druids knew how to shape-shift.” Roz hummed, “They couldn't make Lycaon and his sons human again, but they did teach them how to shift back and forth. And so the druids became important advisors to the packs.”

Derek continued on, “They keep us connected to humanity, but in this pack there is no lack of humanity, which is both lucky and troubling.”

“But they're a secret even in the pack. Sometimes only the Alpha knows who the emissary is.” Roz laughed loudly, “We didn’t know about Deaton all the time - when I learned about him it was after the fact.” 

Stiles looked around the room. “You told Deucalion that you’d met him before. And you knew enough about him, what happened?”

Roz’s face darkened. “A lot, Stiles, my sweet pup, a lot.” She leaned against Peter, and felt Noah drape his arms around her shoulders. “Deucalion is a  **demon** .” Roz stated rather matter of factly. The whole room made a collective gasp, and settled their eyes on her. “I've met him in another host before. He was actually the one who told me I was gifted, a soul snatcher he called me. Others might have called me a sparkling. Or a changeling. Either way my main power as a witch was to borrow properties from things around me.”

“So, like the Kanima.” Stiles suggested. “You took it inside of you and melded it into something that sort of works well with your other Sparks.”

“I didn't realize I could still do it until the werewolf bite.” Roz continued, after nodding her head at Stiles. “When it was just the witch magic and the vampire seed… I didn't do much other than stay hidden, but when I absorbed the spark, the werewolf spark of all things… I realized I could still snatch Sparks. The only other known sparkling in history was host to eleven Sparks, although she started as a necromancer. The story is irrelevant.” She shook the thoughts from her head. “Duke is a demon who I knew by a different name.” She pinched the bridge of her nose. “And even with Ennis dead, Kali dead, and the twins here… he is still stronger than us combined.”

“By us you mean what?” Melissa demanded. “A sordid affair of teenagers, a resurrected werewolf who's now an alpha again when the last time he had red eyes he wreaked havoc on the town, the alpha who killed him, and a beast who didn't even realize she was an alpha? And three parents who are dangerously close to middle age?”

“By us she meant the pack.” Derek nodded. “Our family. Including Parrish and Cam, and the twins now that they have joined us. Sure we still have to, uhn… find a way to degrade them back to beta but I am pretty sure either Roz or Peter could figure that out, hell even Stiles with the way he has been reading. I mean they are magic or whatever.”

“Or whatever.” Peter agreed. “Chris is a hunter, he comes from a hunting family. Like it or not we could use some hunters on our side. Noah you can help by declaring a curfew and suppressing Marshall Law for as long as you can. Melissa you can help by continuing to work in the ER. You and you alone know the marks of this war. You can administer the nine herbs and save countless creatures and human lives. And I'm not as unstable as I once was, still dead on the inside… but coming around.”

Noah snorted. “Back on topic.” Lydia snapped her fingers. “I'm a fucking werewolf banshee and I need to know how I can help take out a demon.”

☽♚♛♚☾

With the end of the school year approaching, so was Roz’s graduation. Not that she seemed apt to care. It had been quiet since their return from the ill fated track meet. With everyone working on making Ethan and Aiden more comfortable in the pack it became obvious at least to her that they wouldn’t need to degrade either spark. Both seemed content to follow Stiles’ commands, which almost made her laugh.

Two days after the last full moon Noah had been bitten, and the wolf was doing well to keep himself grounded. No one talked about it, but it seemed like there was no shortage of adoration and love within their pack itself, which was admittedly nice. Braeden had even settled in, sort of. She had taken to sleeping in the tunnels, because it was like going to ground every night, not that Roz was going to stop her. They weren’t friends, but they were a pack, a coven between the two of them within a pack of shifters. 

They harbored their own deep seated issues which had largely been put to ground for the sake of their new found happiness. The Hale wolves, the Beacon Pack - they were stronger than ever so of course that was when it all went to proverbial shit. 

Roz, Lydia and Stiles were taken. 

* * *

End Part Two

* * *


	3. When the night is coming down on you

When the night is coming down on you 

_ (We will find a way through the dark) _

☽♚♛♚☾

  
  


Roz, Lydia and Stiles were taken not like a secret in the night but in the middle of the day. The three had headed into Redding with Alpha Satomi’s permission to gather some supplies from the apothecary that operated a one room store from the early 1890s. His name was Thorald Veyrs. He was a skin walker and someone that Roz had known in two past lives. 

It took the pack until the following morning to realize anything was off because Roz hadn’t been sure they’d leave Thorald until late and she hadn’t wanted to be between territories too worried that Deucalion would strike. Once Derek realized the bonds were stressed he called a pack meeting  _ and  _ he called Satomi Ito. “Did you meet up with Roz yesterday?” He asked the moment formal pleasantries had been exchanged. 

“No. She was supposed to come by but never made it. She sent a message telling me that she had an emergency back in Beacon - Derek I’m going to Thorald’s. We both know it’s not like Roz to lie.”

“Please keep me updated?” Derek muttered, Lorilee nuzzled under his arm a little scared. 

Satomi hummed, “We have always had an alliance. Regardless of your mother’s death my alliance was always with Roz. You are her alpha now. We are going to work together for her. I’ll keep you in the loop. My nephew Han and his fiancé Terri are going to help me search for you're three pack members.”

So they waited. 

Afraid to speculate. 

It was hours before Satomi called back. And then the news was miserable. “The apothecary was wrecked, Thorald is missing as well. It’s obvious they put up a fight. The lingering magic residue read as not only Roz’s but an apprentice. Wolf blood was spilled. It smelled like Hale essence. We are searching the whole town, Derek. I don’t know how…”

“Deucalion has been targeting us.” Peter spoke over Derek. “We are a pack with three alphas. Derek is our high alpha. Roz is an alpha and so am I.” Satomi made a noise of interest so Peter continued. “Ennis and Kali are dead, Satomi, and the two remaining members of his former pack are now in our pack.” 

“So you are actually five alphas strong.”

“Yes but neither Ethan nor Aiden have any alpha responsibilities.” Derek gave Peter a rude look. 

Satomi laughed. “Meredith always thought secondary genders were shit. Roz did too you know. We all knew she was an alpha but it was like she couldn’t see it. Or wouldn’t. She was the one Meredith originally wanted to pass the spark to but…”

The  _ but _ hung heavy in the air as Derek thought about how Roz could have led them. Hell she already was the one mostly leading them. “Satomi do you mind if I send three betas with Peter down? Admittedly one of those betas is Chris Argent.”

“They have permission.” Satomi didn’t miss a beat. “I think for the time being we should consider ourselves one unit. Derek, a storm is coming. For Deucalion to take  _ your potential _ mate, your second in command  _ and _ your first turned beta. He can’t mean you any good.”

☽♚♛♚☾

In Roz’s long life she had been kidnapped eleven, no… twelve, now, times. And each time someone died. Or rather many someone’s died. She came too in a metal vault of some sort chained by her neck to the floor. She could see Lydia not far from her head, a mess of blood and red hair. The beta wasn’t awake but she wasn’t dying either so she twisted her head to the side and let out a violent growl. Stiles was stretched out on his back, a thick chain coiled around his wrist that linked not to the floor but the arching high ceiling. The boy's throat was almost ripped completely out. Thorald wasn’t far from him, wreaking of blood and fear. 

Skinwalkers tended to stay neutral even when they lived in known territories. She’d accidentally made him a target. She spat black bile and groaned. “Wake.” Her alpha command brought Lydia fighting to awareness and Thorald keening. “Thor are you ok?” He made a rumble noise of awareness. “I’m so sorry you got taken.”

“Don't pity the skinwalker. He chose to fight for your little human.” Roz twisted to see not only Deucalion glaring down at her from some sort of viewing room above but another alpha this one was dark skinned with curled hair and looked positively hungry. “I bit you're little boy.” He sounded gleeful. “Soon you’ll be so moon sick you're eat the banshee, the skin walker  _ and  _ you're precious pup.”

“I’ll die before that.” Roz still couldn’t lift her head. It hurt to breathe. “How long?”

“It’s been two weeks. They all rushed to Redding. But you aren’t there.” The other alpha the one she didn’t know spoke, his tone was positively honey and she hated it. “No one is going to find you. Or you're little pets before you lose it. We kept you drugged for a while but with the full moon in under ten days we thought it was a good time to let you out. So naturally we bit your little sparkling.”

That pulled a roar out of not just Roz but Lydia and a cry of fury out of Thorald. Humans were sacred. It was against every law in the books to turn them without permission. Roz curled her lips as the lights went out and darkness once more engulfed them. Head swimming she did her best to crawl to Stiles. “I’ve got him, Roz.” Thorald’s voice came in low waves. “I can get closer than you. You’d have to break your chains and that can’t happen without blood.” She looked up to see Violet eyes aglow. “The bite is taking. What does that mean for him?”

“It’s complicated. He’s like me.” Her heart broke. “Can you get to Lydia?”

“Maybe.” His hands ghosted over her head. “I can reach you. Want me to try to get you free.”

“My pups first.” She grumbled, head swimming. “I’ve been dosed with a bit of wolfsbane.” She let out a shaky breath. She felt more than saw Thorald run his bloody hands over her, the scratch of dried blood made her sad. How long had they really been here. What had happened and how the hell had two alphas got the drop on them. 

A new set of hands were on her a moment later. “Mom?” Lydia whispered against her crown of hair. “I’m going to check on Stiles now. Who is Harel? Thorald keeps whining for him.”

“A elf.” Roz grumbled. “A neutral just like Thorald. They are bond mates?” Roz sighed deeply, still trying to focus. 

“We are going to release the guard on your collar. I think Stiles needs you, mom.” Lydia murmured and then it was white - blinding white behind her eyes and the world fell away. 

☽♚♛♚☾

“Let me get this straight. We have spent two weeks searching Redding and now you don’t think they are there at all?” Noah was understandably frustrated. The whole pack and the new faces were standing in the War Room at the packs main house in Beacon Hills, a map of Redding stretched out over the kitchen table, with red and blue X’s across it to show who had searched it, and that it was empty.

Harel was tall and alarming. Nature hummed around him. He wasn’t human. But he was loyal to one man and one man only - Thorald Veyrs. Something about bondmates. But Derek wasn’t in the mood to explain the difference between bondmates and soulmates to  _ anyone.  _ Bondmates, as Derek knew, went beyond soulmates. They were two halves of the same person who spent every lifetime finding each other  _ again and again _ . Twin flames born in the dead of night, forged in all that was holy.

Harel took a steadying breath. “I felt him just now. He’s close. Thorald. And he’s scared. Not for himself. For a pup.” He glanced at Derek, who cursed under his breath. “Those bodies Satomi found all belonged to the same pack of nomads. The Laurels. Their alpha Stephen is still missing. Isn’t that Deucalion's usual behavior? Convince an alpha to kill his pack?”

Derek sighed. “Some of those were killed by Thorald; some by my pack mates. Magic was all over the place.” He punched the wall beside him. “Can you feel him still?”

“No.” Harel looked frustrated as well. 

Derek still wasn’t sure what to make of the Elf who’d pushed himself into the SUV with Noah, Peter, Chris and Jordan. Demanding to see the  _ new _ alpha Hale. Sneering it at Peter. Elves were notorious recluses and yet… and yet he was devoted to Thorald in a way that spoke of centuries together. 

“Do you know how far it was?” Chris asked after a long moment. “If we got a map could you… suss out a radius?”

The elf gazed at the hunter unimpressed. “Maybe.” He frowned. “I thought you're Druid would be more helpful.” The whole room looked at him with disgust. “What?”

“Deaton is cryptic and useless.” Noah offered after a beat of silence, “We don’t often include him unless it’s on Roz’s command. He’s still sort of getting back in the pack’s good graces, since his inaction last time around led to the death of the original Hale pack.” 

“I can find Roz.” Eliza looked pained. “The elf is right. They were all awake not long ago. Lighting up like beacons. The thing is… because we share blood I can track her maybe. If there isn’t any magical interference.” She paused. “The problem becomes what do we do once we find them?”

“Moon sick.” Laura hissed. “That has to be the play. He needs one of them to lose it and kill the others. Absorb the sparks. Become the same as him. As Stephen potentially. He’s banking on that being Roz. He doesn’t know her very well.”

“Slight issue with that.” Kira quirked. “She hadn’t fed in three days before they left. It was her night to eat. Couple that with the moon and I don’t know that she has enough morals to not snap…”

Harel whirled on Derek and Peter. “What exactly is Roz?”

“A soul snatcher. Who is currently holding a witch spark, a vampire spark, a werewolf spark and a kanima spark.” Peter admitted. “And we were pretty sure Stiles was a snatcher too but hadn’t had the chance to test it.” An uneasy silence fell over them all before Harel started cussing in elven tongue and Eliza started talking in rapid fire French. Derek punched a second hole in the wall. 

☽♚♛♚☾

The darkness was only agreeable because now that Stiles, Lydia and Thorald were free they could crowd around Roz who was a bit irritated that she couldn’t be freed. Every time they had tried the chain on the floor had pulled her a bit closer to the ground. They’d given up after five tries since each one seemed to shoot her full of some sort of poisoned dart. She lost time and couldn’t breathe well but they were all stretched over her when she  _ felt _ Eliza. 

The other death dealer brushed against her very core. Her eyes shot open a vibrant silver as the other death dealer borrowed her sight to look around the enclosure. It lasted only a few seconds before Thorald’s violet eyes turned a milky gold unlike a wolves. He crawled away from her and made quick work of scaling the walls looking for any imperfections. When he was done he dropped back down on the ground and scuffled closer again.

“What was that?” Lydia asked. Stiles still hadn’t regained his voice. He was at least awake sluggishly but he wasn’t back to talking yet. Roz’s magic seemed nullified by the collar that clipped her to the vaults floor. 

“Eliza looked through my soul. They are searching for us.” Roz breathed. “I think Harel looked through Thorald.”

“He did.” Thorald breathed. “That’s a good sign. Means they are looking. Lydia, do you feel the moon?”

“It’s close.” Lydia’s goldenrod eyes looked over them. “It’s bad that Stiles isn’t awake or talking, isn’t it?”

“No. It took me a while to wake up when I absorbed the wolf spark.” Roz hummed. “Almost three weeks.” She added. Her eyes burned red. “I need you two to get out. Stiles and I will be fine. We are the ones who that bastard wants. Soul snatchers are rare. The fact that Stiles has my gift…”

“You bestowed it on him.” Thorald gasped. 

“As his godmother too. I evoked the old gods. It was to protect him in this hellmouth.” She hissed. “I never thought it would save his life.” There was a long pause. “Lydia you have more control than any turned wolf I have ever met. I trust you under even this moon. But just to be sure - I command you to go straight to Chris Argent. Tell him everything. Thor you better go with her.”

“I don’t do packs. But I submit to you. Always.” He bent forward and bumped his forehead into hers. “Tell me how to get out of here.”

“I’m going to give you an exit.” She said with a little more confidence than she really had. Palm down on the vault floor she pushed all her energy along the natural ley lines looking for the Nemeton. When she found it, she pulled  _ hard.  _ The vault shook around them. “Follow the echoes.” Then she passed back out. 

Before them a familiar face smiled. “Come.”

“That is Stiles’ mom.” Lydia hustled to stand. Pulled Thor with her up and carefully they hustled after the Spector. They passed through what seemed like a solid wall, disappearing into the foggy mist that was descending on both Stiles and Roz. 

Thor clung to the back of Lydia, hands pressed into her shoulders as she guided them through what seemed like pure darkness, the only light belonging to the pale golden glow that was the soul of Claudia Stilinski. “Lydia where are we?”

Lydia didn’t answer for a long time. “I think we are in the currents of the Nemeton.”

“Lydia. That’s beyond not safe.” Thor muttered as he coiled closer to her, putting an arm around her middle and huddling closer. If the werewolf was bothered by the skinwalker cuddling her she didn’t announce it. 

☽♚♛♚☾

“What do you mean you can’t feel Lydia or Thor anymore?” Satomi even sounded legitimately concerned. One moment everything felt fine across the pack bonds then Lydia seemed to fizzle out of existence completely, Derek’s link to her numb somehow. He looked toward Harel and the Elf seemed despondent. 

“I mean it’s like… they are nonexistent. There was no pain or anything just… a numbness?” Derek looked at Jackson and Harel. Both nodded after a moment. “Any idea what she might have done?” He looked at Deaton. 

Alan Deaton looked like a haunted man. “Roz can control the Spectors in the ley lines. She can manipulate the spirits of the dead at least connected with the Nemeton.”

“And that wasn’t mentioned before now because?” Scott asked a bit loudly. 

“It wasn’t important then.” Deaton shrugged. 

“Anything else that wasn’t important?” Melissa asked a little on the irritated side. 

“Uh… when she was bitten by Meredith it took about three weeks for her to wake up. There is a good chance Stiles has been bitten and she hadn’t tried to escape until he was rising.” Deaton said after a long moment. “I think there is a good chance she sent Lydia and Thorald into the Nemeton to protect them from the moon. They should come out in the preserve from the stump.”

Derek glared at the Druid then looked at his pack, “Chris, Eliza, Jordan, Cam you should meet them. Just in case. All four of you should be able to handle a crazed wolf and a hungry skinwalker.” When Harel looked ready to object Derek sighed, “I need you watching over Melissa and Lorilee here at base camp since we are on death con one.” He looked heavenward. “Noah, Peter I won’t stop you from trying to find your mate or you're pup. But… I’m going with you. Did you two get a hint of where they…”

Noah’s phone rang to life, the deputy on the other end sounded alarmed. “There was an earthquake with a cave in at the abandoned First Beacon Bank.”

“That’s Roz. She is about as subtle as a brick.” Isaac laughed. Relieved to be finding her finally. Relief flickered through the whole pack until of course they realized it was the full moon. 

Lorilee hugged them all extra tight as they headed out of the house, before wrapping herself around Melissa and looking pointedly at Harel. “Can you make cookies? Noah is the only one who gets them out still gooey. Melissa can’t.” Harel gazed between the werewolf pup and the human healer he was supposed to watch, both gave him a hopeful look. Shrugging he nodded and headed for the kitchen. Thorald would find him stress cooking hilarious. 

☽♚♛♚☾

“You good?” Roz muttered. Now that she’d essentially blown the piece of ground caging her to bits her chain had slipped free and she had all thirty feet of it tucked into a sling she’d made of Stiles tattered shirt. The boy next to her whined low. More of a keening growl. “Derek will come. They all will.” She pinched the nape of his neck. “We have to kill the other two. You know that? You're stronger than me, Stiles. You're  _ pure _ the one thing I am not. You have to be the one to fatally wound Deucalion. Stay low and alert. Wait for the right moment.”

Stiles nodded low against her. The unknown alpha was the first to outright attack them. Roz was all fang and claw as she whipped the chain around his neck and yanked he fought back, throwing her up a floor into the viewing window. It was all Stiles could do to keep up with the onslaught. When she landed she charged, one clawed hand pushed through his stomach straight through his spine and the other caught his jaw forcing it upward as she sank her teeth into his jugular and ripped. His body dropped to the floor, heart in her hand as she panted. She didn’t look much better. In fact she looked worse than when she’d sent Lydia and Thor to wherever. 

It was a mess of broken concrete and rebar as they wandered through the twist and turns looking for Deucalion. Of course the blue toned alpha took her by surprise, his claws and teeth hitting her side. Stiles fell backward on his ass, as Roz clawed madly for his eyes. Blinding him in this form would give them the surprise they needed. Ultimately it didn’t matter, when Deucalion moved to take her neck out Stiles had his opening. He launched upward unused to his strength and power. He sunk his fangs into the demon alphas neck just as Roz fell barely breathing pulling the two down with her. 

Stiles found purchase on Deucalion jaw and shoulder, he dug his newly clawed hands in and pulled apart. Seeking out the wolves heart. If he had remembered correctly the heart was larger than normal and the center of his chest. He nearly screamed as Roz shot up to help him, her neck was weeping blood and her jaw hung wrong; he could see her ribs on her left side and her right cheek had a whole bite out of it. With her help they proved his ribs open without Stiles ever having to let go of his neck. When he did Roz shot up more, forcing her mouth to hold the elder demon in place while Stiles fought through what was going to be one hell of a panic attack, pressed his face into the ribs and tore the wolves heart out with his teeth. 

Roz’s shallow breathing was the only thing he heard when he came too some time later. Dark blue swirls danced up his arms and his head wrung with unseated power. Roz would be easy to devour next, weakened as she was. Instead he picked her up in a bridal hold the best he could, and kept his head down as he tried to scent his way out of the still falling tomb. 

☽♚♛♚☾

Chris Argent wasn’t the most religious person normally. Still as he led Eliza, Jordan, and Cam deeper into the preserve he found himself praying. He was praying to all the gods that he could possibly think of. Mother Moon, Jesus even Hecate made an appearance. Anyone who might listen to his pleas. He had never been excited about being in the preserve. Too much bloodshed and war had transpired between his family and the local wolves. Too much bad blood, the world seemed to echo the hatred of past events especially in the darkness. With only the heavy moon overhead, Chris figured it was either poetic or ironic that he was a human hunter leading a death dealer and two hellhounds to a magical tree on the one night a month most werewolves couldn’t contain themselves. 

Pushing his worries to the side he followed the path that Deaton had inked out for him on an older map of the area. Trusting the Druid was hard enough, believing they weren’t walking into some sort of trap however, wasn’t in his abilities. He’d watched a known monster save his daughter - turn his daughter from a creature that needed a master to one of the higher ups in the pack in only a few months. He’d lost his wife along the way, but he’d gained so much more. His freedom from his family and his ability to rewrite the code that he and his pack stood by. It didn’t make the uneasy feelings of the Elf in the house or the two new betas from Satomi’s pack any easier, but he felt like Roz knew what she was doing. 

As they broke through the tree line into the clearing that the Nemeton had once stood proud on, Chris found the old building that Deaton had marked, sure enough the roots of the tree were curled inside it, it was another several yards through the darkness before the wide stump emerged, and revealed itself. No one was on the Nemeton when they arrived. They stood for almost thirty minutes before a sliver of gold appeared to hover over the stump. Then a very real ghost opened the door, Chris recognized her from the frames around the Stilinski house. 

_ Claudia _ . 

She beckoned those behind her. Lydia looked a little worse for the wear, her eyes still goldenrod. Thorald behind her looked terrified to greet an Argent with a gun. “Friend.” Lydia managed before she fell forward. Jordan hurried to cradle her. 

“Harel?” The skin walker asked. 

“At the pack house, waiting on you. Watching our human and younglings.” Chris offered. 

“Eliza.” Thorald moved to bump foreheads with her then all but collapsed into Cam’s hold. 

The Specter of Claudia looked over them all. “Tell them to be happy. I’ll be able to see Stiles in his dreams now. Roz freed me from the Nemeton.” With that she turned to the golden portal, and slid her hand into it, disappearing into a mist that seemed to shimmer like a golden diamond under the moon. 

“That probably ain’t good.” Jordan muttered as the golden sheen disappeared leaving the tree new scorch marks. Chris and Eliza shared a small look before they started to lead the others out of the woods. They’d only got halfway back to the SUV when Chris phone pinged with a text message. 

“Earthquake in the industrial district.” He looked at the death dealer. “Roz has a way of saying things doesn’t she… I’m going to drop them off at the house then head to clean up. Abandoned building or not…”

“You're not so bad. For a hunter.” Eliza shot him a rare smile. “If you don’t think the wolf thing is for you… you’d make a hell of a death dealer. We have a moral sense of injustice that has to be corrected.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” Chris hummed. 

☽♚♛♚☾

Derek could only smell  _ blood _ . Judging by Noah and Peter’s faces that was all they could smell as well. The whole pack found themselves standing uselessly around a crater. Whatever had been there was long gone. Instead two heartbeats one slow and broken the other racing toward a panic attack could be heard. “Be careful. Clear the rubble. If you get stuck, call for help?”

He sounded unsure and he felt unsure. The pack moved around him. It took him a few moments and Peter tugging on his sleeve for him to get moving. As the cover of night gave way to the early morning Melissa, flanked by Harel, Thor and Lydia with coffee and more than enough breakfast for everyone. Then surprisingly they moved to help the others hunt. Lydia and Thor the loudest in their cries to find Roz and Stiles. By midday Noah called for a break. “We are getting nowhere.” He wiped a tired hand down his face. “Let’s just… take a break. Melissa do you think you and Allison and Scott could go get us some lunch.”

Melissa however hadn’t moved. “I want the bite. From Eliza. I want to be with this pack forever. I don’t want to be… useless.” She looked bereft as Camden moved to wrap her up in his arms with Laura’s help. By now police had joined them to help in the search so her admission wasn’t loud. 

“I can do that. But only once we find Roz.” Eliza looked to Derek who nodded he was aware that Eliza had also offered to bite Argent. It would mean less methods of restraint for them. Mountain ash wouldn’t trap them. Wolfsbane wouldn’t hurt them. But they would be susceptible to silver. It was a trade off but the death dealers bite  _ always  _ took. 

“Let’s go get lunch, mom.” Scott offered, Isaac moved to trail him and Allison. The former huntress and former kanima holding tight to Melissa’s hand. They returned with curly fries and so many burgers even the police and firemen working through the rubble could eat. The search resumed after they ate. It was with the last embers of daylight that Derek smelt them. Peter, Ethan and Aiden turned their noses in the air as did Thor. The five rushed into the center and most unstable part of the rubble near where a viewing room to the vault had been. Slowly Stiles pushed his arm through. It was chaos for a few moments - then both Stiles and Roz climbed out of a tiny hole covered in blood and black bile. 

“MELISSA!” Derek screamed and then the woman was rushing pushing through the other emergency searchers. She immediately pulled two large syringes of nine herbs from her coat pocket and without much fanfare stabbed them both through the heart with it. The pair dropped both of their eyes flashing vibrant red before they toppled seemingly unconscious. 

☽♚♛♚☾

Sometimes Derek couldn’t breath. 

After his first pack was destroyed he’d suffered from bouts of mutism and depression, he’d felt like the world was pressing down on him and he was being overwhelmed by the roar of humanity. Panic attacks - or so Melissa called them - came hand in hand with trauma survival. Seeing as all the Hale’s left standing had either been dead and resurrected (Peter and Laura), tortured mercilessly (Derek and Roz), or raised by literal undead vampires (Cora and Emmett) it was safe to assume they all suffered from it. Melissa was quick to wonder exactly all the things that Roz had to compartmentalize and survive to make it this far.

Derek didn’t even want to ponder the question - he knew first hand what his mother had put her through. No one deserved that, let alone the single most important part of the wolfpack - the backbone, the structure, the pack mom. A good second pack mom was Melissa, although that didn’t surprise Derek one bit. The fact that Allison was a good third did at times catch him off guard. The former huntress was always there for the younger pups and took extra care to make sure Lorilee was comfortable no matter what they were doing.

Melissa had pulled strings to get both Stiles and Roz into the same room on the grounds that they lived together and were best friends. So the whole pack operated pretty much like a swinging door of continuous visits with only Derek, Peter and Noah staying nonstop at the hospital. Which left Chris Argent largely in charge of the troops. Forcing the wonder wolves and coyotes and kitsune to go to school. Harel and Thorald hadn’t left yet, and apparently they were not planning on it. 

Derek sat between the pair, facing their innocent looking faces, he held Stiles’ hand and Roz’s, squeezing them intermittently, “You were always my mom, Roz. Come on, you have to come back. I need you. This pack needs you. We can’t do this without you.” He brushed a kiss to her knuckles, and felt the first wave of tears on his lashes, as he turned to look at Stiles, “God, I’m pretty sure you're my mate you little spaz.” He breathed, and twined their fingers together tightly, “I don’t know when I fell in love with you, but I remember knowing for sure when we were in the pool fighting the Kanima. You came back for me, even if we were pretty sure that I’d survive drowning.” He kissed Stiles’ knuckles, brushing his lips against each one in turn, “Lydia and Harel think you're both in some other plane of existence, since your hearts are beating and there is for sure brain activity… you're just not inside yourself… or something like that.” He bent his head forward and kissed them on the temples, before he leaned back and untangled his hands, “I’m going to find food, don’t wake up until I’m back.”

Harel made Chris’ skin crawl. Because he had no way to sort out the whole Elf thing. Skinwalkers he understood, and to his credit Thor seemed like a good creature. To add to the already hectic nature of their house Satomi’s son Han and fiancé Terri were also lingering. Satomi had older children who would more than likely become alpha, Chris if he were a betting man was banking on the pair of blue eyed betas prefering to be in the Beacon Pack. It would solidify the treaty with the Ito Pack. 

Laura, Melissa, and Eliza operated largely as Chris’ power base. The three women handled more and more of the house schedule and the worries of the younger pups. Laura even met with the Guarantor of the Hale fortune and set up medical policies for each member of the pack and set about having all of the care both Stiles and Roz were receiving paid for. For both being supernatural creatures they were both largely unresponsive. Derek spent more and more time considering the very real fact that whatever magic they’d had to use had twisted them up. 

Deaton for the time being was staying close to the pack. Keeping his head down and his ear to the ground, listening to whispers. No sooner than the Druid returned to them did the rescue crews unearth two bodies. One belonged to Deucalion Kane the other to Stephen Laurels. Both alphas had been brutally murdered. Which was what brought the latest complication. Scott’s father, an FBI agent, had arrived in town. Melissa's house was on the market and her new address was the house next to the Stilinski’s which of course brought Rafael McCall to the hospital to ask questions. 

“Lots of deaths here lately.” Rafael looked pointedly at Noah. “You're son and his friends  _ and  _ the Hale’s seem to be at the root of it all.” Noah barred the door to Stiles and Roz’s room. Rafael was standing in the hallway outside the room that Roz and Stiles were sharing. 

“Happens sometimes. You remember how it was when we were in high school.” Their senior year there had been close to thirty deaths. Noah now knew that was the fall out from Meredith’s death. “Town like this. Sleep for a while then it goes a bit off the rails. We’ve got it under control.”

“I’m sure you do.” Rafael sneered. 

Melissa had just popped around the corner with Chris and Derek. “Rafael?” She blinked rapidly, “You have to call before you visit. It’s court ordered. And Scott is in school right now.”

“He isn’t here for Scott, Mel. He is here to talk about the recent murders.” Noah sighed.

“Oh.” She brushed past Rafael. “Well fuck off then. No one has been murdered  _ here _ .” She motioned to the ground he was standing on, then the hospital in general, “Aren’t you a crime scene sniffer, shouldn’t you be looking at I don’t know… cave ins and dark alley ways?”

Chris snorted behind her, “Mel.”

“Oh! Rafael McCall met Christophe Argent. This is Derek Hale, I think you should remember Peter Hale…” She trailed off when Peter looped an arm over Noah’s shoulder, drawing the beta closer to his side, his alpha need to protect and shelter. 

“Pleasure.” Rafael sneered. “Did you two finally get together?” He looked between Melissa and Noah. Peter, Derek and Chris erupted with laughter. Meissa to her credit only rolled her eyes and made a rude hand gesture. 

“No.” Noah said avoiding eye contact with Derek who was still smirking. “Uh, Peter and I are involved.” He pushed a quick kiss to Peter’s cheek, “Check on those two would you?” Peter nodded and looked at Derek. The pair both slid into the hospital room. 

“I’m actually seeing Melissa.” Chris said earnestly. “It’s new, and our kids are together now. Like my daughter is dating Scott. Makes it a bit awkward.” With that he shrugged, patted Noah’s stomach which all the pack did to the perceived adults and Roz, then headed further down the hallway - where Scott was visibly glaring at his father. It took all of Chris’ strength and a lot of Allison’s to haul Scott away from the doorway and into the waiting room once more. Isaac moved to slam the door shut afterward, which made Noah sigh deeply. Moody teenagers, moody werewolf teenagers were a never ending cycle of dramatic hormones. His nose twitched sympathetically. 

“Well.” Noah frowned. “Do you need something from the fine Beacon Hills police department? I can get one of my deputies - Parrish or Lahey to take you down there.” Both men appeared then, more muscle than anything else. “Or perhaps you’d like to further piss me off and demand to talk to Stiles or something.” Cam moved to Noah’s left just as Jordan pushed against his right. The two hellhounds treated Noah with a high amount of respect, he was after all the mate to  _ two  _ of the pack alphas. 

Rafael rolled his eyes at the show of aggression. “I was hoping to talk to Stiles, actually and Roz. Interestingly I believe that Roz is your old girlfriend right?” Rafael looked gleeful. 

“It’s her daughter.” Noah said quickly. “When Roz took off the first time she headed to my cousins in Indiana. She was pregnant and… it wasn’t mine or Peter’s don’t get so damn happy.” Noah glared at him, “Anyway she had a daughter then disappeared. My cousin took the little girl in and raised her. Some of the Hale children ended up out there too. Since Talia and Claudia were close. Anyways when my cousin died I petitioned for custody of them all.” Melissa looked at him like he’d grown a second head. He might have been a cop but that didn’t mean he couldn’t lie good damnit. 

“Oh...Kay?” With that Rafael sighed, “Can I talk to them or?”

“They haven’t woken up since they were recovered. They were kidnapped along with Lydia Martin, Natalie Martin’s daughter, and a family friend Thorald Veyrs, from Redding. They were taken from an apothecary shoppe owned by Harel LeFay.” Noah really hated the elves last name. “They were reported missing though the Redding police department when they missed their morning check in with Melissa and Chris. I was working, and Peter was dealing with things in regards to the old Hale house. Derek and a few others drove up to help look for them… but no one had seen them.”

“I read the report. The thing that bothered me is that the bank, the  _ abandoned _ bank sat on land owned by the Hale family. Both of the men found dead inside were men who had previous legal issues either here in Beacon Hills or with Meredith or Talia Hale.” Rafael smarted defensively. “Also, Derek Hale has custody of several wayward children and a known criminal Satomi Ito is positively chummy with your  _ children _ and  _ friends _ .”

“Satomi Ito isn’t a criminal. She has a few wayward nieces and nephews. Sure she bailed them out of trouble when she could but, honestly there isn’t much I wouldn’t do for Stiles.”

Rafael hummed, “And that’s what bothers me about you, Stilinski, the people you see as  _ yours  _ you protect regardless of their shortcomings.”

Noah frowned. “Wait here a moment.” He ducked into the hospital room and looked at Derek, “I don’t want to but I think we have to tell him.” Derek and Peter both nodded. “Alright I’ll pull him in. If he knows then at least he might not attempt to throw us all In Eichen House.” Noah turned to haul Rafael in. “Sit. It’s about time you learned about Beacon Hills.” So Peter started the story, ending it when he was killed (the first time). Derek took over the narrative explaining about the spark and how the teenage werewolves in the waiting room were his responsibility but they were protectors of Beacon Hills and the Nemeton not murderers. Then Noah spoke, explaining his parts and the most recent bit of trouble. 

Rafael looked them over. Then frowned. “So this Roz…”

“Is the Roz from high school. She’s close to 400 now.” Noah sighed. “The story in the hallway is the one we tell  _ everyone _ . Jesus Scott is going to be so pissed we told you. It took forever for us to get Melissa involved.”

“The kanima.” Rafael hummed. 

“Do you need proof? I’d rather we do the shifting outside. So no one gets shot.” Noah grumbled a bit worried. Rafael removed his guns and pushed them at Noah before motioning for Derek to show him  _ something.  _ Derek shifted easily into his beta shift. The FBI agent let out a shriek that made Noah giggle as the man tumbled sideways. “I wish we would have recorded that for Melissa.”

☽♚♛♚☾

Rafeal McCall talked to each member of the Beacon Pack. Verified every bit that he could. Even slept on the couch of the second pack house. He spent a lot of time working out how to omit the supernatural element (thankfully Noah was more than happy to help him). The thing about  _ knowing _ meant he could potentially keep them from more trouble than they were already facing. Kidnapping was afterall a federal offense and they were more than lucky that the rest of the FBI hadn’t rolled in with the cavalry. 

Stiles and Roz woke up moments apart. Both screaming out in the middle of the night startling Lydia and Jackson who were on night duty. The pair fumbled to stand up, dropped onto the floor tangled together then hurried to tackle both Stiles and Roz. “The pack already knows we are up, who are you calling?” Roz sounded scratchy and tired. But oh so alive that Jackson couldn’t help but smash his face into her neck and just inhale. 

“I am calling Harel and Thor!” Lydia nearly screeched. Stiles was being held so tightly by Lydia that he couldn’t get free enough to agree. So he just let her cling to him. “Where were you?” Lydia asked slowly as she pulled back. “I… you're body was here but you're souls.”

“The void.” Roz explained. “An innocent killed a demon. We had to be held accountable.” She muttered. “It’s the pre-purgatory where your soul is weighed against a feather.”

“Seriously?” Jackson asked, a bit concerned. Jackson might not be the brightest of the wolves in the pack or even of the teenagers in the group they hung out with, but he knew vaguely of the story of weighing one's soul against a feather, although he thought that was an Egyptian thing. 

“Seriously.” Stiles yawned. “We were on trial. We killed a demon that had existed since the creation of earth. The void while pleased to be the demon's new home was unsure of what to do with us.” Stiles looked pale, and sickly. Roz didn’t look much better. For all the blood that Melissa had managed to transfuse into her, she still had just a hint of wildness in her eyes that told both Jackson and Lydia that she was  _ hungry _ . 

The whole pack joined them before either of the pair were willing to keep talking. “What was the verdict?” Noah asked once he was caught up, he passed her a bag of AB blood, while Thor and Harel watched on with intrigued eyes. She punctured the corner and started to sip it down, easily pleased with the taste, and happy to have both Noah and Peter crowding her in the small hospital bed. Derek, Boyd, Isaac, and Erica had all practically clambered into bed with Stiles - Scott and Lydia had fought for the remaining spot, Scott glaring as Lydia overpowered him, and seated herself at Stiles’ feet. 

Roz and Stiles eyed each other. “I asked to hold the alpha spark but remain more magic than ‘wolf. I asked that I be granted the power to degrade alpha to a beta  _ but _ only with the betas permission.” Stiles offered, his eyes meeting Aiden and Ethan, the pair had found seats at the end of Roz’s bed. Both looked relieved at the idea. “I should be able to do it at the same time for you two, since you're twins and have a split spark. I can, uh, I can see sparks inside of each of you now. It’s… it’s so strange.” He admitted, “For instance, Derek’s spark is bright blood red, but the core of it is amber, with blue wrapped around it like barbed wire, like even though he’s an alpha the things that made him a beta and an omega though it was only for a short time are there - shining through and powering his alpha. I can see Peter’s his is red like dried blood, and has a sharp blue core, like ice.” Stiles offered, he gazed at Roz, “Yours is a tangled mess, barbed and shoved together like puzzle pieces, but the main part is red, like a candy apple.”

Roz cleared her throat, “All of you should refrain from asking Stiles for your spark color, for the most part they match your eyes onces you are transformed.” She shifted around in the bed and looked at them all, “I asked for the ability to have children. The vampire part of me ended that. Dead cells and all, I also asked that the souls directly connected to the Nemeton through magic, mine or otherwise...” She glowered at Deaton, “Be released and the tree be cleansed. I’ve the magic now to link it directly to myself and Stiles, so that it can never be affected by sacrifices - good or bad again.”

“And?” Derek asked, curious. 

“Roz can be a mother and I can degrade those who ask for it but not Peter Hale, Derek Hale or Roz. We have to bind ourselves and our pack to the Nemeton. We can not leave it unprotected, once we are completely healed. That was the conditions of the void.” Stiles hummed a bit tired and yawned. “And there is more.”

“This is where it gets bad.” Peter muttered. 

“You aren’t the only Hales alive, er rather… Derek and Laura have siblings.” Stiles explained. You have  _ two _ older half brothers. The rest of you have a different dad.” Stiles frowned. “And get this. They are hunters  _ too.” _

Chris blinked. “What?”

“Sam and Dean Winchester.” Roz offered. 

“They have an angel on a  _ leash. _ ” Stiles added seriously. “And the Void told us how to get a hold of them. Apparently they just handled something called a Leviathan problem and  _ just _ figured out that you guys even exist.”

Chris looked worried, “While most hunters specialize and have a code, the Winchesters  _ don’t _ they hunt monsters and kill them almost for sport. If you want them here, or in contact with us, I suggest we do it somewhere neutral or at least in another pack’s territory. They probably haven’t seen your type of wolves, they are rare.” He frowned, “I’m going to reach out to their man, Bobby Singer, see if he will come with them, I assume you want to meet with them soon?”

“Don’t rush it.” Roz muttered.

Stiles nodded, “We need to handle a few other things, first.”

“The void has long wanted Deucalion as he was an elder demon. So we were given a warning. Dread Doctors and Ghost Riders will both be interested in us now. By standing against the demon and defeating him both will want to seize us. All of us.” Roz looked sullen. “But the Void was kind enough to tell me we should get a few months of non chaos.”

“Family vacation?” Scott suggested. 

Roz snorted but turned her gaze to Peter. “Remember that time we went to Canada?” The other wolf grinned and nodded. “That was a riot.” With that she drifted back to the land of sleep. 

☽♚♛♚☾

By some luck they ended up in Lake Tahoe and not Legoland. Derek was counting it a victory. Stiles hung onto him like a rag doll these days and he didn’t mind it. But the once talkative spaz was a little more reserved. Derek hoped the getaway was going to bring the whole pack some much needed relaxation. He was thankful for Summer vacation even if it meant they had missed Roz’s graduation (apparently it would have been her seventh since joining the Hales). It also helped that the property already belonged to the Hale family and Roz got on well enough with the territory alpha that it wasn’t an issue. They’d have to meet with Evanna Hero at some point but not for the normal round of pleasantries and posturing. They also had plans for the Winchesters, their angel, Bobby Singer and two others who were traveling with the Winchesters to join them the week after they arrived. 

Adding Harel, Thor, Han and Terri to their pack had not only boosted their numbers but brought them the distinction of having several different species coexisting willingly. And they were one of the only packs to have four different shifter types in the ranks (werewolf, werecoyote, kitsune and skin walker). Most people mistakenly thought Harel was a witch of sorts like Roz and Stiles and rarely did anyone bother to correct it. More than anything, Roz and Thor seemed apt to do everything they could to hide what and who Harel was exactly. 

The pack was sprawled out everywhere even with Melissa attempting to make them pick up their belongings (she’d successfully goaded Derek, Eliza and Noah to pick up after themselves and Chris hadn't needed telling). The others were running rampant and not listening when Roz pushed her fingers into her mouth and let out a high pitched whistle that had every supernatural in the immediate vicinity whip their heads around to look at her. “Mel said to pick up your shit and put it away. End of discussion.” And just like that they all rushed to comply. 

“Someday you are teaching me that.” Melissa grinned and yeah someday Roz would teach both her  _ and _ Chris that whistle since they’d be Death Dealers. “Also remember Chris, Derek, Peter and Roz have training set up for you around the house. Hunter and other supernatural alike will be featured elements.” Melissa slung her arm around Roz’s shoulders and leaned into her. Roz nuzzled the woman’s shoulder, happy that her second in command when it came to the house was happy next to her. 

Upstairs, Derek smiled as he tossed himself onto the bed he’d chosen. The pack was finally melding together. Beautifully he might add, sure there was a lot up in the air at the moment - between the two new betas from Satomi’s pack, the ones they were maybe picking up from Hero’s pack, and the siblings he didn’t know he had until recently. Stiles slowly climbed in and tossed himself down next to Derek. “I was scared.”

“I was too.” Derek knew instantly the boy was talking about the bite. “Afraid of what it would mean. But you de-alpha’d the twins and they are better for it.” Derek let the boy nuzzle closer to him. “It’s been a long time since it was just me and you Batman.” Derek let his wolf rumble it’s pleasure at the boy's nearness. He’d been a spastic pain in the ass at first, but he’d show his wealth and his power with his ability to train Scott to handle his control issues, and then with his continued interference and helpfulness to Derek. Even helping with the whole Peter thing the first time around. Stiles had been the youngest, and he’d handled it with a studied ease. Derek knew it haunted him, knew the nightmares lurked and pulled at him.

Stiles snorted. “Erica is Catwoman and Boyd is Bane, I think Isaac would have to be the Riddler.” Derek smiled into his hair. “When we got the tattoos we talked about us then things went crazy and then I got kidnapped.” He paused. “Am I still… is me being an alpha that doesn’t change into a wolf ok?” He sounded his age in that moment, and it made Derek’s heart seize up a bit. He was coming up on having known Stiles for a whole year, and all he could think about was how much the boy truly meant to him. 

“Stiles it’s you so it’s perfect.” Derek nuzzled him again. “I’m terrified of what comes next since I don’t have the best record with romances.” 

“For the record, I have no record.” Stiles explained, grinning wildly. Derek snorted as he pulled the boy to his side, nuzzling his cheek and pressing kisses to his soft skin. “Roz did some like… Dr. Strange magic to get us out of the vault didn’t she?” And that was another thing, no one had bothered to talk about the fact that Roz had broken the natural order to force the Nemeton to bend to her will before they’d met with The Void.

“Apparently she sent Lydia and Thorald into the ley lines around the Nemeton. Which I didn’t even know was possible. Which freed you're mothers spirit from its tie to the Nemeton. Not to mention she caved in four buildings and helped you kill for the first time.” The last of it hurt a bit to say out loud, Derek hadn’t liked the fact that Stiles got his hands dirty with Peter - but Stiles had only weakened the wolf back then, Deucalion had been Stiles to kill. As if it were ordered by the gods, and maybe it was. Derek had never been the praying kind. 

“She was worried what would happen if the demon attempted to take her.” Stiles murmured. “She would have made a wonderful host. She’s got a lot of darkness inside that we don’t really see. Or else she wouldn’t have been able to cave in four buildings.” Stiles pulled himself closer to Derek, “She… when we were in the Void, it was… the creature of the Void it made us relieve what it perceived to be our sins. Roz did a lot of things as the pack enforcer for almost 140 years, Derek. A lot of things. She murdered without explanation, there are so many… secrets.” He shivered. 

Derek himself feared the day when Roz took on too much, she’d been the catalyst for most of the pack's advancement, either in this lifetime or her previous. The pack had grown more than he was prepared and the rapid changes were still something he was getting used to. Even if Roz and Stiles never acted on the alpha sparks they now held - the Beacon Pack was four alphas strong and soon would have three fully fledged Death Dealers and quite a few betas under their belt. Stiles drifted off to something like sleep as Derek held him, nuzzling his head and thinking realistically about his pack. They had become the  _ mighty _ pack he’d teased about. They’d become so much more than that too.

Lydia was more in control of the Banshee than she’d ever been before. Jackson was probably the most compassionate person Derek had actually ever met. Allison without the Kanima was an asset with a cool head and often a strategist Derek could rely on. Isaac was grounding and a little brother to almost everyone except Allison and Scott who he gravitated to like the sun and moon. Scott was still a moral little shit who had a tendency to buck Derek but they were working it out. Scott and Derek were the most like siblings, even with Derek’s actual siblings back. Scott didn’t want to be a cautionary tale for first romances, or any of the things that Derek had suffered through. That had probably been what really pulled him into the pack - and they still needed to have that official talk.

Erica and Boyd were essentially the perfect balancing act for Cora which Derek was so thankful for. Laura, who claimed not to want the alpha spark ever again, was happy with Cam. A werewolf and a hellhound. It was poetic. Emmett and Kira were close and had been before they’d returned to America. The kitsune was trusty in any fight and probably the purest heart among them. Emmett was a lot like Derek had been at his age - headstrong and stubborn. Jordan settled seamlessly in with Jackson and Lydia, the hellhound the third wheel of stability for them. 

Peter’s pups - Malia, Sydney, Brett, Theo and Lorilee were all grounding points. The coyotes were easily the most versatile morally (like their parents before them) but they all had a good handle on their shifting and control now. Danny had been essentially seamless from human to wolf, and had been instrumental in the adaption of Ethan and Aiden to the pack. Danny and Ethan were true mates if Derek had to guess, and Aiden spent a lot of time with Laura and Cam. They were probably another tirade and that made Derek grin. They all had been through hell, honestly. 

Satomi’s youngest son Han was still a novelty to Derek. Another born wolf who chose a pack other than the one he was born into. Derek knew it was possible and that it happened but he’d never dreamed of leaving his pack. Satomi had bitten Terri when she’d fallen ill. Derek liked them both. They understood how the pack was supposed to work and easily fell into roles of epsilon wolves and those who acted as pack enforcers. Both bowed to him out of respect, but easily followed Peter or even Roz’s direction. Stiles still wasn’t comfortable ordering anyone around (but the twins tended to linger near him, and Derek could see that for what it was - Stiles was the alpha that had saved both Ethan and Aiden long before Stiles held an alpha spark).

Noah as a werewolf was a bit more interesting. He had no problem holding onto his humanity. Derek had feared that it was Stiles that kept him grounded, but now he knew it was Noah’s sense of urgent duty that kept him human. He continued to prefer weapons that were man made over his teeth and claws which Derek counted as fair, since he was a sheriff. But still the thought of a werewolf shooting another with wolfsbane bullets was a little unsettling. Peter thought it hilarious, and Roz just smiled widely at them both, she looked effortlessly young between them. Like she was both their midlife crisis’ and to an outsider she probably was. 

The three wildcards weren’t even that wild. Eliza stayed because she was a Death Dealer and because she and Roz had a shared history, their coven of two was going to be a coven of four by the next full moon. Which was when all the bindings to the Nemeton would take place, as well as new pack tattoos would be handed out. The Death Dealer pair couldn’t have been more different and yet they worked well together and were starting to be friends. Harel was an Elf, and Derek still wasn’t sure how he and a skin walker had become bondmates but apparently it went back almost 300 years. Thorald had arrived in America around the same time as Roz and while he became a trapper in the lower part of Canada she’d made her way to California and the gold rush. But they’d kept in contact. He’d been the one to feed her on the long voyage. Derek found him to be something of a creepy uncle but a stabilizing force nonetheless. 

Melissa and Chris were both humans for now. Although both wanted to be turned to Death Dealers not wolves it didn’t bother Derek. Their pack wasn’t normal. It wasn’t ever going to be it couldn’t with four headstrong alphas leading them. But, at the end of the day they were pretty close to a perfect blended pack. 

“Roz said that Hero had some betas for you to look at.” Stiles said around a yawn, some time later as he stretched out lazily beside Derek. The boy reminded the ‘wolf more of a fox than anything else, but Derek didn’t mind. “She called them chimeras. What is that?”

“A shifter that took but isn’t necessarily a wolf. Roz and Peter probably know more about them.” Derek pulled Stiles closer to the point the boy was nearly sprawled over him. They snuggled deeply and Derek felt calm. Derek was starting to fall into his own sort of nap when Peter woke them all.

“THERE ARE BEDS EVERYWHERE. THIS IS NOT A SEXCATION ITS A WORKING VACATION!” Peter’s rough voice carried up to them. 

Stiles giggled, “Wanna bet he was talking to Laura, Cam and Aiden?”

Derek snorted. “Probably.”

☽♚♛♚☾

“Peter, Noah, Laura and Stiles are accompanying me to meet Alpha Hero in regards to four orphaned teenagers who are considered Chimera.” Roz offered the room. “The rest of you are free to do as you please until we return.” She hummed. “Quickly a chimera is something or someone who has  _ two _ sets of DNA.”

Peter took over after that, “Sometimes humans are chimeras without knowing it. Say if a twin absorbed the other twin in the womb, or you had a transplant… there are other cases but those are the basic traits.”

Once they were in the travel van they’d rented, Noah started flipping through the case files Hero had sent to them via a very scared human courier. “Hayden Romero. Part wolf and part Jaguar. Considered a chimera because of a kidney transplant in her youth. She is going to be in the same grade as Theo.” He flipped to the next, “Corey Bryant. Part chameleon and part scorpion. Heart transplant. Same age as Hayden.” He flipped to the next, “Tracy Stewart. Part werewolf part kanima. Ocular transplant from her mother.” He turned to the next page in the clipboard, “Josh Diaz. Part werewolf and part eel. How is that… you know what don’t tell me. Absorbed his twin.”

“There are two pack potentials that aren’t chimeras after him.” Roz offered. “A werebear and an earth kitsune.” She flicked her gaze to Noah, who closed one folder and opened the other.

“Yes. Uh, Locklan Thorn is the werebear. He is 26 and apparently from Scotland. His family was taken out by Argents.” Noah scanned through the files. “Our Earth Kitsune is Suni Wong. 21. Last of her pack. She has no formal training. Her and Kira are different types. Will they work ok?”

“They should.” Peter sighed deeply. “Knowing Hero these are the problem children. But there will be at least one she tosses at us last minute.”

“Experience with her?” Stiles wondered. 

“She broke Peter’s heart when he was fifteen.” Roz ventured, “And mated her cousin to keep the bloodline pure.” She pointed to dinner off 8th. “Talia then tried to mate Peter off to another of Hero’s siblings, but that didn’t work out the way she wanted it to when he met Corrine.”

Laura steered them in. “I am so glad that I’m not in charge of this pack. It’s fucking crazy.”

“Come on.” Roz was already climbing out, Peter and Noah flanked her while Laura and Stiles tumbled in together. All five of them slid into the diner and instantly Stiles realized why three of the four alphas were in attendance. The whole diner was full of Hero’s pack. “Hero.”

“Hale.” The woman who spoke was scared and a bit on edge. 

Roz held her head high. “Evanna.”

“Rozlynn.” Then the two women embraced. A ripple of  _ calm _ seemed to push through the whole pack. “Thank you for considering my… wayward pack members.”

“Thank you for hosting us for a month, Evanna.” Roz pulled back to look at her. “Satomi sends her greetings.” With that she pulled what looked like a small handmade pouch out of her chest pocket and handed it over, Hero tucked it into her brown leather jacket. She was older, and of Native American descent, she was pretty in a way that told of age and power. She reminded Laura a lot of Talia, in how she carried herself. This was a wolf who was confident. 

“I send mine. It had been a long time since Hale held Beacon. And yet he is not here.” Evanna gazed at them, after passing what looked like an envelope to Roz, who quickly handed it off to Peter, he tucked it into his jacket pocket over his heart. 

“As his second and thirds…” She pointed first to herself then to Peter. “His intended.” She pointed to Stiles. “And the wolf father.” She pointed to Noah, “Former Hale alpha Laura-” She pointed to Laura, “We are the top council for Alpha Derek Hale and we are considered  _ his _ voice and decision. He is taking care of some training while we are here today.”

Evanna grinned, “A pack with four alphas and no shortage of power and strays.”

“We’ve been around less than a year and faced what most never do.” Peter hummed. 

Evanna grinned, sharp and predatory. “Another former alpha. I heard you were dead. And yet here  _ you _ are.” She gazed at him in a way that made Peter shift uncomfortably. Noah fisted a clawed hand in the back of his shirt, and tugged harshly. They weren’t here to fight.

“I got better.” Peter snapped. 

“Enough.” Roz snarled. “Peter, Laura, head out to watch the van. Evanna you have betas to give. I am willing to receive them.” She bowed her head, just enough for her longer hair to fall over her shoulders, “Unless of course you wish otherwise?”

“There is another.” Evanna growled. “Recently turned. He’s angry and aggressive. Something is off with his wolf. His human friend arrived with him. Jet. They will both leave. With you or dead.”

“And what is this betas name?” Stiles demanded arching forward to tilt around Roz. 

“Brodie.” Evanna’s face darkened. 

“So let me get this right. We are taking Hayden, Tracy, Corey, Josh, Locklan, Suni, Jet who you sent us no information on and Brodie who you also failed to send us information about.” Noah looked irritated. He liked to know what he was facing in advance, first with learning about the supernatural then becoming the supernatural he’d sort of adapted to this ‘if it isn’t in the Hale Books or the Argent Bestiary it isn’t real’ ideology. 

“Correct. Four chimeras, a werebear, a kitsune, a freshly bitten and a human.” Evanna toned. “All are orphans or over 18.” Evanna looked like she wanted to do anything but continue talking.

“They can come with us.” Stiles said evenly. “All of them.” Roz looked at him like a puzzle for a moment but instantly turned forward with a snarl when Evanna’s more muscular betas hauled the children in question with hoods over their heads and ropes laced with wolfsbane binding them. 

“Jesus, Eva.”

“Precautions.” Evanna hummed. “You know all about the beast that could be driven… mad.”

Roz let out a noise of contempt. “The human? Really?”

“I wanna go too!” A loud voice cried out. “Hayden is my  _ girlfriend _ and Corey is my  _ brother _ !” 

“Mason hold him back.” Evanna snapped. 

A dark skinned boy hauled the dark brown haired boy back. “I wanna go too, Alpha.” Mason said shakily. “You said if we didn’t feel safe we could… we could go with them.”

Evanna glared but nodded. “Liam is my nephew. My sister Rory adopted Mason and Corey when they were young. Rory and Beau were killed by hunters almost five years ago. I was under the impression you had just pulled two betas from Satomi as well. Building quite the treaty aren’t you.”

“Evanna, it is our code to help others. If the boys wish to come they can if they change their mind I’ll bring them back.” Roz said evenly. “Our pack once shared betas with yours, Meredith’s nephew Joseph came to be part of your pack, as well as Ivan.” There was something dangerous about the situation, but Stiles wasn’t sure what anymore, he looked to his father, who looked just as alarmed as him. Roz was taking more than Derek had discussed but this was… this was something different. 

“I don’t accept returns.” With that Evanna turned and walked away. Her pack trailed out until only Roz, Stiles and Noah stood with the betas that Evanna had left behind. 

“Get them free.” Roz looked at Mason. “You are human right?” The boy nodded. “Free them. Please?” Mason hustled to untie Corey and Hayden first. Hayden immediately pulled Liam into a hug, and Corey nuzzled Mason. Josh and Tracy were freed next. The pair linking hands and rubbing their wrist. Once Jet was free he set about freeing Brodie. Mason moved to free Locklan while Jet freed Suni. 

Roz looked them over in turn. “So we have six people who are under eighteen. Brodie and Jet are at least nineteen. Locklan is twenty-six and Suni is twenty-one.” She bit her bottom lip. “Welcome to the Beacon Pack. You can submit to myself, Stiles and Peter now. But our alpha is Derek and you will need to submit to him  _ regardless  _ of who you submit to prior to getting in the van.”

“We need to get back to the cabin.” Noah said, almost concerned. “Away from Hero’s central location.” All ten of the betas bared their necks which allowed them to inhale in turn - Roz then Stiles while Noah shuffled them out of the diner. Where each one submitted to Peter who looked  _ pissed _ . Laura hugged them in turn and helped them into the van. 

They didn’t talk for a long moment, then, “Anyone want to tell me why they got kicked out? And what the actual hell happened to Evanna Hero? She used to actually give a  _ fuck _ .” Roz sighed deeply. A bit on edge and one hundred percent upset. 

“Her mate died with my parents.” Liam hummed from his seat. “After that things changed.”

“Ok. So why is Brodie an issue?” Noah asked. 

“My anchor isn’t stable.” Brodie grumbled. “Most new betas use their alphas as their anchor but I never felt very connected to Hero. Jets mom raised us but sent us here when I was bitten.” Brodie added.

“You and Jet remind me of two other knuckle heads I know. Same with Liam and Mason.” Noah muttered. “What about the rest of you?”

“We had struggled for being different.” Tracy explained. “Some wolves are pure bloodist. They don’t believe anyone with mixed blood should be in the pack.”

Stiles looked back at them. “Mom we have a bunch of new puppies now.” He sighed. “Do you think Jet and Mason might be able to do magic?”

“All humans have the capability to interact with magic. We can try them out.” Roz hummed as they headed out of the diner and down the road to the cabin they were staying at. It was technically located on a small island on Lake Tahoe. “I think that more than likely if Jet and Mason grew up around folks knowing pack laws and stuck by their best friends I believe they can probably handle some mountain ash.”

“When are the Winchesters supposed to arrive?” Laura asked. 

“Next week. They have something to sort out in Montana.” Noah hummed. 

☽♚♛♚☾

Derek surveyed the group. This was not what he had intended. “Uh, Roz?”

“Hero has lost her fucking mind.” Roz snarled, “Chimera’s up front. This is Corey Bryant, Hayden Romero, Tracy Stewart, and Josh Diaz.” The four sort of waved awkwardly. “Locklan.” The werebear with flaming red hair grinned as he bowed to Derek, “Suni - uh, Kira this is Suni, she’s going to train with you. As kitsune you should be able to work with the old text together, I’ll help as I can.” Suni smiled and waved. “Liam Dunbar, he is a born wolf, and dating Hayden. Mason Hewitt, human best friend to Liam and dating Corey.” The two nodded their heads at Derek, “They asked to come with us when they realized what was going on.” She added, Derek nodded his understanding. “This is Brodie and Jet. I don’t know their last names, Brodie has trouble with control, his anchor is all over the place, and Jet is his best friend.” Brodie was frail and blonde, with a quirk of attitude that instantly reminded Derek of a younger version of Peter. Jet looked asian, and he wondered if Jet and Suni knew each other before the pack, he doubted it as he watched them shuffle awkwardly around each other.

“Welcome.” Derek said as he stood shirtless on the topstep of the cabin’s wrap around porch. “I’m Alpha Derek Hale of the Beacon Pack. You submitted to my three underalphas. Now you need to submit to me, then we will introduce you to your new family.” He looked to Laura who gave him a thumbs up. Derek scented each new beta in turn, even the human ones. 

Peter cleared his throat, “Alright, Hale wolves and coyotes first. You’ve met myself and Derek, as well as Laura, she was the alpha for a time.” Laura grinned as she moved to stand just below Derek, “Their younger sister Cora, and younger brother Emmett.” The two nodded and stood on either side of Laura, “My children - Sydney, Brett, Theo, Lorilee, and Malia.” The five took the step right under Laura, Cora and Emmett. “Turned wolves by me - Scott McCall!” Scott waved his hand as he moved to stand below Peter, “Allison Argent.” She also waved and joined Scott, her brown curls bounding as climbed up the stairs. “Betas turned by Derek - Erica Reyes.” She winked, her blonde hair and too red lips alight as she moved to stand near Derek, “Lydia Martin.” The redhead grinned impishly and waved, “Jackson Whittamore.” The jock mock bowed, “Vernon Boyd, but he prefers Boyd.” Boyd was silent as he climbed to stand right behind Derek, “Isaac Lahey.” The boy grinned wildly as he crowded around his pack. “Danny Malehi.” The tanned boy smiled as he waved, “And Noah Stilniski, Sheriff of Beacon Hills.” Noah nodded his head at the group that he’d already met.

“Recently Han Ito and his finance Terri Shreeport joined our pack from Alpha Satomi Ito in Redding.” Derek added, as the pair waved with a wide smile, “They are considered elder wolves in this pack, and should you have trouble adjusting or have any questions they are the pair you should go to first.” The pair looked at Derek strangely, it was an honor to be considered a guiding force for new betas, new members and pups. 

“Thank you, Derek.” Han grinned at him.

“Those who belong to me.” Roz said loudly as she stepped forward, “Kira Compton.” The Kitsune stepped out of the pack and grinned, “Eliza Breaden, a Death Dealer.” The vampire clicked her tongue to show her location, “Thorald Veyrs, skinwalker.” He let out a bit of a snarl, “Harel LaFey, Elf.” The tall brooding blonde nodded his head. “Camden Lahey and Jordan Parrish, hellhounds.” The boys waved excitedly.

Stiles cleared his throat, “My betas - Ethan and Aiden Carver.”

Timidly Mason raised his hand, “Who bit you, Alpha?”

“Deucalion Kane did.” Stiles said after a long beat, “I don’t fully transform into a wolf.” Stiles admitted. “We also have two human members at this time - Melissa McCall who is Scott’s mom, she’s a nurse and the one person who is here solely because she wants us to have healthy food and graduate high school.” That got a snicker out of Melissa, “And Chris Argent.” The ten betas who had joined them huffed out in worry. “He is a reformed hunter, and a devoted member of our pack. His daughter Allison is true mates with not only Scott but Isaac.” Stiles sounded absolute, “You have nothing to fear from him, in fact he along with Derek and Roz will be the main three teaching you basic defense. Chris and my father, Noah-'' Noah waved, “Are in charge of teaching you weapon handling, Jordan and Cam will help you considering they are both police officers and former military.”

“We also can’t forget our Druid.” Roz sounded amused, as Deaton peaked around, “Druids are responsible for keeping the balance in nature. This is Alan Deaton, he previously worked with the Hale pack, and after the spark passed from Laura to Peter to Derek in less than nine weeks it was apparent to Alan he needed to intercede. Now that we know who he is, he lives in the pack houses with us.” Roz curled her hand around the man’s upper arm. “Alan is who both Mason and Jet will start training under, we want them to have a working understanding of ruins and the different herbs and ashes that can harm us.”

Brodie shifted forward, “Alpha.” He looked to Roz, “What exactly are you, you smell… you smell like death?” He ventured looking a little unsure as he said it.

Roz grinned, “I am a hybrid, not that much unlike the Chimeras.” She smiled at the four. “I am part human, part witch, part ‘wolf, part vampire, and most recently I absorbed the spark of a Kanima.” 

“Wow.” Jet whispered next to him, “So you're like a  _ super _ supernatural creature.”

Roz laughed in spite of the bad joke but nodded. Laura cleared her throat and spoke next, “Also a heads up to everyone. We’ve talked a little bit about the fact that Derek and I have older half siblings who we have never met. Sam and Dean Winchester. Chris informed us that they operate a little differently than the hunters we are used to. They are going to be here on Monday.”

Derek cleared his throat, “I would like us to be as together as a pack as we can be by then. I don’t want to give them a reason to kill any of us. They travel with an Angel, a literal Angel of the Lord, as well as an elder hunter Bobby Singer who I met in my youth, and Roz knows fairly well as does Chris. They are also bringing two people they’ve sort of adopted. Kevin Tran who is maybe a prophet of the Lord, the details were sketchy, but basically he’s special and can read literally anything, and Charlie, who has no special powers other than hacking. I imagine it will take some adjusting.”

“We thought you’d like to get to know us.” Erica was practically vibrating, “So earlier we marked the woods that Hero is letting us use, with our scent, and scraps of blue ribbon. How about a run?”

“Humans can remain here, with me.” Roz toned after a moment, then looked at Stiles, “Go, test out your speed, pup.” Derek watched as the ten new faces gazed longingly at Roz - each member of the pack that was going for the run (including Eliza) hugged her goodbye the teenagers all lovingly called her Mom, as did Derek, before they broke out into a run, Noah and Peter kissed her goodbye last and led the eight new betas into the wilds.

“Mason, Jet, let’s get you trained up, hm?” Alan motioned for them to follow him into the kitchen of the large cabin, while Roz looked to Chris and Melissa. The trio instantly moved into the livingroom where they’d spread out all the information they planned to share with the Winchesters, and their offer of a home base. If they were lucky maybe the two brothers were looking for something like a family themselves.

☽♚♛♚☾

“I’ve never seen a pack do this.” Chris muttered, three days later, when a bonfire was raging, and the whole pack was scattered around the fire. Melissa, next to him, made a noise of curiosity. “They just… adapted to each other. Four days, Melissa, they blended essentially fourteen new betas into the pack in four days. That’s unheard of. Admittedly certain betas see certain Alphas as more theirs...but.” Chris frowned.

Melissa laughed, “Are you upset?”

“No, I’m scared.” Chris answered honestly, “I’m scared of how well this pack is doing, I’m scared of Dread Doctors and Ghost Riders, I’m scared of what happens when we lose. The odds are always stacked against us, and we pull off things that we shouldn’t be able to.” Chris huffed, “I don’t know if it has to do with the love that Roz and Derek have for each other and then the others, or what… but we shouldn’t have been able to take on a  _ demon _ werewolf and win.”

Melissa studied the group before them for a moment, even Eliza had stretched out with the others, her body taunt but still relaxed as she leaned against Roz’s legs. “Maybe that’s what Derek meant, about packs that lived, that survived, that went on.”

Chris sighed, deeply, “I don’t know, Mel.” Everyone at least looked sated and happy. “Also I think we are going to need a bigger house.” That made Melissa laugh, “What?”

“Roz and Peter were talking about that earlier with Locklan, the house on the other side of the second pack house is going on the market in a couple days. Peter offered twice the actual amount the house is worth, so the people that own it just agreed.” Melissa patted his shoulder. “Come on, let’s go snuggle up with our kids.”

Chris laughed, “They really are ours huh.”

“All of them.” Melissa nodded, and led him to a spot next to Noah. The fire turned to stories from each other's past. Derek shakily told them about Kate Argent, while Stiles told them about Claudia. Roz told them about being a famous pirates daughter, and for once it felt like hope was blooming.

☽♚♛♚☾

Dean Winchester had no expectations about meeting new siblings. He and Sam had met one half brother and he’d been locked in hell pretty much since then. Sam, however, was eager to meet both Laura and Derek Hale. Especially after they’d managed to decode the part of John’s journal that talked about a werewolf named Talia who had caught his eye. He’d outlined how the Hale’s were different from other werewolves he’d encountered, and went on to explain a curious creature named Rozlynn Compton who had lived with her. It was Roz who had actually taught John about several creatures, wendigos, sirens and harpies just to name a few.

Castiel was smashed into the rear middle seat of the impala, watching the world and watching Dean, with Charlie fast asleep on Castiel’s shoulder and Kevin sprawled all over both of them. Bobby was following behind in his truck, loaded down with all the things he and Christope Argent had talked about. And that was the other thing, Dean had heard about the Argents. As far as he knew they had pretty much been destroyed, due to infighting. However, Bobby had told both Sam and Dean that two Argent’s remained - Allison who had been the planned matriarch, she was a werewolf, and Christophe who was planning on taking the bite of a Death Dealer. In turn, apparently, Chris had explained what happened to both the Hale’s and the Argent’s and Dean, who had thought his family was fucked up, was frankly amazed that any of the survivors could even stand to be in the same room. 

“Lake Tahoe, upahead.” Castiel muttered into the near darkness and almost silence of the car.

Dean flicked his gaze to the angel in the backseat, “Thanks.” 

“You told me to tell you the road signs.” Castiel shrugged, “Are you sure about this. The last time you met a little sibling it didn’t work out well.”

Dean hummed, “Second and third times a charm, Cas.” He paused as he checked the time, “We are ass crack of dawn early. I don’t know if we should roll up in a strange place with a bunch of monsters we typically kill just… waiting on our arrival. I don’t think we should-” He paused as his phone rang to life, he didn’t recognize the number, but answered anyway, “Hello?”

“Dean Winchester, the pack is awake, do not act like arriving here is a surprise. And remember to keep your weapons in the car. We don’t want you accidently killing  _ anyone _ . Oh, and this is Roz Hale.” The voice sent chills down his spine, “I believe you're father called me Rozlynn Compton.” 

“Right, ok.” Dean said after a beat. “Are we uh?”

Roz laughed, “There is a cabin set aside just for you, and you're company.” 

“Thanks.” Dean frowned as the line disconnected. 

“She seems fun.” Castiel grinned.

Dean rolled his eyes, the last thing he needed was  _ his _ angel to be best friends with an immortal. He followed the GPS to a bridge that he had to pay a toll to pass through, then they were on the small island. As they reached the only house that was lit up, he caught his first glimpse of Rozlynn Compton Hale. She was standing on the bottom step of the wrap around porch, with short yellow shorts on, and a Beacon Hills hoodie on, her hair was curled up in a braid, her feet were bare. Golden eyes with a tint of red met them, as Dean put the Impala in park, and shut her engine off.

“Welcome to Lake Tahoe.” She stepped to the dirt path, and flowers seemed to curl around her. 

“Roz!” Bobby called out, and she smiled warmly at him, opened her arms as the older hunter hugged her tight, she hugged back, ducking her face into his neck and just smiling for a moment, “It’s been what? Twenty years?” Bobby asked earnestly.

“Something like that.” She gave him a cute kiss on the cheek, “You must be Dean.” She eyed him for a moment, “And the taller one is Sam.” Dean looked over his shoulder to see Sam stretching, “You both look like John sort of.” She hummed easily, “He was a good man, missed his wife. He came here looking for answers. Ones I didn’t… couldn’t give him.” 

Dean offered her his hand, they shook then Sam pulled her into a hug. “Rozlynn Morgan.” Cas’ voice made her laugh, “It’s been a long time since Paris.”

“That it has, back then you were pretending to be part of the Vatican.” She darted past the Winchester brothers to hug Castiel, the angel embraced her hard enough her ribs cracked a bit under the pressure. “You… are stuck in this form?” She looked at him with wide eyes.

“We’ve been through a lot.” Castiel admitted, “This vessel belonged to a man named Jimmy Novak.” He looked a bit sad about it, “His daughter is taken care of, but his wife died.”

Roz hummed, “I’ll guard you as long as you need.”

Castiel touched her shoulder, where her old wound was forever scared. “Thank you. Perhaps we can discuss Novak’s daughter, I believe she would benefit from a more stable family.”

“Of course.” With that she kissed his cheek and looked to Bobby. 

Bobby cleared his throat, “Roz this is Charlie Barbury and Kevin Tram.” A smiling redhead and a scared asian, Roz nodded to them both. 

“Nice to meet you.” She grinned, her teeth too sharp. “We realized it would probably be overwhelming if the whole of us greeted you. So Christophe and I will lead you to the cabin where we’ve designated a creature free space.” At that Christophe Argent pushed out the screen door, flashlight in hand, “Chris, you know Bobby Singer.” The two men shook hands, “This is Dean and Sam Winchester.” Chris greeted them as Roz pointed them out, “Castiel, the Angel of Thursday.” Castiel nodded to Chris, “This is Charlie Bradbury and Kevin Tran.” Chris shook both their hands, “If you would, Chris.” He nodded, pulled what looked like a stun gun from his side, shoulder it, and headed off past them, down a trail. “You’ll do well to follow him. Grab what you need from the vehicles.”

They trailed along after him. “Whose territory is this?” Bobby finally asked.

“Evanna Hero.” Chris offered from ahead of them.

“Dangerous place to be.” Bobby breathed, “She’s a little… off these days isn’t she?”

“Something like that.” Roz muttered bringing up the rear, “We are only here for two more weeks. This was as neutral as we could get for them to meet you. If you find you're comfortable with us, there is always a place for you in Beacon Hills.” Roz admitted, “We’ve recently added to our pack, ten betas from Hero’s pack, two from Ito’s pack, a skinwalker and an elf.” 

“That’s a risky amount of new variables.” Castiel offered.

“It is what it is.” Roz shrugged her shoulders. “We were largely a ragtag team of teenagers until pretty recently. Myself, Peter, Chris, Noah and Melissa the eldest for the longest time. It’s nice now that we’ve got some variances in age going on.” 

The cabin bloomed out of the darkness, shrouded by trees. “This is just for us?” Charlie asked, peaking back at Roz. The elder woman nodded her head, “Wow.”

“This used to be what exactly?” Bobby asked, eyeing the ornate cabin. “And why is it warded?”

Roz laughed, “It was the human cabin. Where those who wished not to run on full moons would stay when we visited with the Hero pack.” Roz explained, “Talia had it warded to protect her human lovers and the younger human members of the pack.” She added, then looked at it, “I can go no further. Dead Man's blood, Mountain Ash, Laurel, deadly nightshade, and mistletoe block me and the majority of the pack from entering. Melissa and Chris have prepared it for you with help from Jet and Mason.” She explained, “Alan Deaton added demon warding, and a handful of enochian wardings. You should be able to come and go as you please, Castiel. It’s mainly to ward against angels that would do you harm.”

“If you will follow me.” Chris took the flashlight upward, and onto the porch, he opened a breaker box, and set about flipping switches. The cabin was a two story, with two wrap around porches. It was well built, and had a lean to on both sides that they should be able to pull both Baby and Bobby’s trucks up to. “The living room, kitchen, and laundry are all on this floor. As well as two smaller bedrooms. The master bedroom and bath are upstairs, as are the other two bedrooms. There are two additional bathrooms downstairs. We fully stocked the kitchen and laundry materials. Roz wasn’t sure if you’d need anything else, but…” He shrugged, “Welcome to Lake Tahoe, the Beacon Pack is proud to host you.”

“You don’t look so happy.” Sam eyed Chris.

“Argents have a code. You just show up and kill everything.” Chris shot back.

Dean hadn’t expected that, but sneered at the older man, “What code?”

“We protect those who can not protect themselves.” Chris snapped, quickly.

Bobby gazed at him, “I thought the Argent code was we hunt those who hunt us.”

“It was, but I’m the last of the Argent line. Allison is as much a Hale wolf as Roz is. I’ll probably actually take the Death Dealer title, as will Melissa when the time comes, so Eliza Braeden and Rozlynn Compton aren’t the last of their lines.” He sighed heavily, “Look, Laura and Derek are good wolves, they’ve been through some shit that most people wouldn’t come back from. They are more human than anyone I’ve ever met. Laura is loyal to her pack, devoted to each and every member, and strong where it counts, she doesn’t mind being vulnerable when necessary. Derek went from being a sullen angry wolf bent on vengeance to the best damn Alpha I’ve met in a long time, other than maybe Satomi Ito, and she’s been an alpha longer than I’ve been alive. My daughter fell in love with a werewolf, and love continues to be the thing that makes this pack work. It’s not a  _ hunters _ code, but a  _ packs _ code. We protect those who can not protect themselves.”

Bobby smiled, “Pretty similar to us, then. Family doesn't end in blood, and it damn well doesn’t have to start in it. You hold on to those you choose, and you fight to protect those you can.”

Castiel cleared his throat, “I’m an angel running out of Grace, I defied Heaven Christope Argent, to bring Bobby Singer, Kevin Tran and Charlie Bradbury back from the dead, after I similarly defied Heaven to raise both Sam and Dean Winchester from Hell itself. I understand your sentiment. It’s been a long time since any of us have a family that we could truly count as ours.”

Roz nodded, solemnly, “I heard you also wished to bring the Harville’s back to life?” She was standing just beyond the stairs, where it was clear it hurt to be that close. “Ellen and Jo?”

Castiel gazed at her, “You have any Angel Grace just lying around?”

She laughed, “You would be amazed what Peter Hale and I have in our stores. Chris, don’t be too long, Melissa will worry.” She gave him a flash of honey colored eyes that quickly bled to red, before she turned on her heel and walked back toward the main house.

“I’m not commanding you to show up, but breakfast is at nine.” Chris offered, and nodded his head to them, “I believe Jet filled the bathroom with toiletries as well.” 

☽♚♛♚☾

Dean was the first one awake, the following morning. He slowly stretched and glared at the alarm clock that read six in the morning. Outside he could hear shouts and what sounded like fighting. Foregoing coffee in hopes that someone would have made some at the other house, he slid his boots on and grabbed a flannel, headed out of the house and onto the trail that they’d walked the night before. He had to stop in his tracks when he saw what exactly the pack was up to. 

Roz was standing in the middle of what could only be organized chaos - she was commanding several people to move tables around the side yard, into something that looked like an outdoor dining experience Dean was definitely into. An older male with a V neck that would have made an angel Dean only sort of knew jealous was commanding what looked like practice sparring with anyone that wasn’t helping. A woman with dark curls was standing beside a African American teenage boy and an Asian in his early twenties, with Chris Argent nearby. The four had clipboards and timers and seemed to be watching the spars. 

“Stiles, do watch your side!” Roz shouted, as a boy with short hair and moles was tossed violently down the hill, electricity and flowers chasing after him. “Good shot, Suni! Kira don’t be a show off!” Roz added, without even looking up from the army of creatures she had moving things around. “There we go, that should be good. Locklan, Thor, Harel do you three think you could make the tables up and set them? I promised that I’d have a go at Brodie’s control this morning.”

“Whoa, woman!” Dean called to her, as she moved by him, she handed him a cup of coffee as he trailed her, “Are you going to introduce me to anyone?” 

“At breakfast, at nine.” She hummed, “Dean… follow me, this could be a good attempt at anchoring Brodie.” She was still in the yellow shorts and hoodie combo of the night before, actually they all looked like they were in relaxed clothing, comfortable, and easy. Dean sipped his coffee and followed her silently relieved it tasted amazing. Brodie turned out to be a blonde thin but muscled freshly turned beta wolf, who couldn’t hold on to his control. “Brodie this is Dean Winchester.” She motioned to Dean. “He’s a trained hunter, just like Chris.” Dean almost balked at that, he didn’t think he had much in common with Chris. 

“Nice to meet you.” Brodie offered, his face that of innocents, “What are we doing today mom?”

Roz looked at Dean, “Brodie was a street rat with Jet before Brodie was bitten by a rogue in San Francisco. He and Jet ended up here when Jet’s wayward mom suggested they find Hero.” Dean nodded at that, “I’m pack mom.” She added as if he hadn’t already figured _that_ out. “So the plan is to piss Brodie off repetitively. Most new wolves use their alpha as their anchor, since his alpha bit him and took off I’m his surrogate parent.” She hummed, “So I’m going to flow into my beta shift-” She paused as a blonde wolf was tackled by a islander not five feet from them, the pair biting into each other, as another set of wolves joined, trailed by two wolves on literal fire. “Hell hounds?”

“Wait, there is a form of hellhounds that are shifters?” Dean looked confused.

“Oh, uh, yeah. So there are the literal hounds of hell which mortals can’t see. You look familiar with those. But there are also Hell Hounds, the product of witchcrafts, the story is pretty simple once upon a time a witch wanted a child so she made a deal with a crossroads demon, but the demon tricked her, instead of giving her the baby she desperately wanted he gave her a hound of hell. Using her magic she transformed the hound of hell into a little boy, who could turn into a flaming wolf to avenge her if need be. When the demon came to collect her soul, she trapped him, and forced him to give her three more children - all of which she transformed herself.” Roz explained, “Laurent the Vampire told me that before you ask.” She then flicked her gaze at the six that were scrappling together, “Take it back down the hill toward Noah and Peter, pups.” The six made low growls, but did as she asked.

“Alright, so pissing off a newly bitten wolf?” Dean hummed.

Roz rolled her eyes, “Sit over there by that tree, do you have a gun on you?” Dean shook his head no, “Good.” Roz waited for him to get situated, then closed her eyes, pulling her beta shift forward. Dean let out a noise of fear - her form was twisted and mangled. She looked more like a gargoyle than a werewolf, her features were an odd marriage of werewolf and kanima, with scales running through her fur, and her skin the sort of pale one got as they died, lips the blue of one without blood. Her eyes were a deep crimson red, even as wings tipped out the top of her spine, she flapped them twice just for show, before she advanced on Brodie. He gazed at her with wild eyes before he pulled his wolf face forward, and tackled her. It was all of three good hits from Brodie before Roz had him on the ground, pinned. He submitted quickly. Roz pulled back and made a hand symbol, and they started a dance of sorts. Brodie was mostly human now, even though Roz was still shifted, she provoked him with swipes and jabs in his direction without ever making contact.

“Holy shit, moms training Brodie!” Came a cry from one of two identical faces, the other one whistled, and soon a whole crowd had encircled the practice area that Roz had led Brodie too. 

Dean watched with a bit of trepidation as other wolves shifted and taunted Brodie, even as the other creatures - coyotes, skinwalkers, a bear, two kitsunes, and countless others shifted to their second forms to mock fight with Brodie. He was doing well holding his own, until Chris Argent pulled a gun, and fired it in his general direction, Dean wasn’t in the line of sight, but Roz had curved the bullet upward with a flick of her wrist, and sent it into the tree about eleven feet above him. It was the noise of gunfire that brought Brodie’s full transformation on, he shifted completely into the wolf and sprinted at Chris. He was caught by a bipedal werewolf, in full shift, with bright red eyes - eyes that made Dean think of fresh blood, the bipedal wolf flung Brodie backwards, were Roz caught him in a tight hold, as another bipedal wolf, although this one looked like a haunted nightmare version, his shift was groutest and off balance somehow, pushed through the crowd. 

Roz tossed Brodie to the second bipedal, who caught him with his  _ teeth _ . Brodie instantly went limp in his hold, and shifted back to human as a fourth red eyed creature pushed forward - this was the boy, Stiles from earlier. “Peter, put Brodie down.” As soon as Brodie was on his butt, Stiles hugged him to his chest. “Are you ok?” Brodie nodded, “Shh, pup, that was good, good, good.” Stiles babbled, “All of us react when guns go off.” It was then that Dean noticed Bobby, Sam, Charlie and Kevin had all arrived with guns drawn, Castiel with his angel blade, Dean sighed heavenward, this meeting might be harder to do than he thought. “Derek, shift, Roz, shift, Peter, shift.” This red eyed human demanded. As soon as Roz was standing and looking human again she made her way to Brodie, wrapping her arms around him and nuzzling him. Derek was the next one, his body was all muscle, and obviously nudity wasn’t a big issue. Peter who’d been the misshapen bipedal wolf was the last to join the embrace. 

“You did well Brodie, you lasted almost an hour this time before you broke control.” Derek nuzzled his head, then turned to look at Dean, “You must be Dean Winchester, I’m Derek Hale.” He offered his hand, like he wasn’t standing there completely naked, “And uh, Laura?”

Dean gazed between his little brother and sister, they did look similar to him and Sam. Derek favored Dean in his bone structure and attitude, Laura had similar hair to Sam, and was smaller in structure than Dean had realized. Dean found himself forgoing the handshake to hug both Derek and Laura, even as Sam joined them. Roz smiled a little behind them, “Lovely.” Dean had to admit he’d never really thought about Adam as their brother, he didn’t look like them or act like them and he was completely  _ normal _ he didn’t know shit about the supernatural, and Dean didn’t think they’d ever really gotten a chance to know Adam. The pair before him had been through their own hell, it was clear in how everyone held tight to each other.

Melissa cleared her throat, and started handing out clothing. “Naked alphas everywhere. Also, Liam, Theo and Hayden broke a table.” 

Roz whirled to look at the three in question, “You did what?”

“Sorry mom.” Came from all three of them, Hayden ducked her head.

Roz pursed her lips, “Those tables were forged by Demetir Hale when he first arrived in California from Russia, he met and married Margret Hale, Meredith’s mother.” She added, “And he’d find it hilarious they lasted this long.” Roz pulled a smile, “We can burn the broken pieces of table, there should be one more in the boat house, although it’s newer and Talia commissioned it.” Roz shrugged, “I could have survived that one being destroyed for no reason.” She then looked at Suni. “How are your lessons going?” 

“Er, good Roz. Kira and my powers sort of work against each other, but the theory is really good.” Suni looked a bit embarrassed at being called upon.

Roz however grinned at her, “I believe Castiel has met a couple kitsune.” The angel nodded his head, “Perhaps he could shed some light on how to bridge those differences - Kira is an electric/thunder kitsune. Suni is an earth kitsune, so their powers literally work against each other normally.” She grinned evenly. 

Sam looked at Roz for a moment, “Is there more coffee?”

“Laura, Derek why don’t you two take Sam and Dean into the pack house and get them some coffee, and talk?” Peter suggested as he slung his arms around Roz. “Roz and Noah and I can handle the morning work out. Would your friends like to join us?” He looked at Charlie, Bobby and Kevin. All three shrugged their shoulders. “Lovely. Bobby if you and Chris would work on targets - Lorilee, Harel, Thor, and Camden you four can be their moving pieces.” The four nodded and looped off toward the shooting range that had been set up quickly. “Danny, you Charlie and Stiles can do some basic computer lessons with Locklan and Emmett.” Danny nodded and motioned for them to follow. Dean wondered what exactly hacking would be used for.

He didn’t get to hear the rest of the morning training being handed out, since he was being led into the house by Laura. Derek was bringing up the rear, “Lydia, Erica this is Sam and Dean, would you two please be nice.”

“We are helping Melissa, Roz, and Stiles cook breakfast, Alpha.” Erica grinned, “So you guys should probably head to the study if you don’t want to be overheard.” She brandished what looked like a spatula at them, “And remember Derek, you told Boyd, Brett, Isaac and Jackson that they had cleanup duty  _ after  _ breakfast.”

“And you promised to let me take the girls into town for shopping today. We have to pick up clothes for our new pack members and some supplies.” The redhead hummed, next to Erica, “You both make me want to scream, so much death attached to you.” Erica instantly plugged her ears.

“She’s a banshee and werewolf.” Derek explained, “We are going to study, try to hold it in, the last thing we need is every supernatural creature within a hundred miles rushing here because of your scream, Lyds.” With that Derek pointed to a side staircase, “Roz suggested we give you the cabin, since she wasn’t sure how well you’d handle a bunch of supernatural creatures all in one place.” Derek admitted. 

Sam laughed, “She’s pretty right. We recently have come to the conclusion that not all monsters are monsters.” He admitted, “Some like us just want to protect others.” Laura nodded as she gazed up at him. “I didn’t know we had younger siblings. I mean we sort of have another, Adam, he’s in hell. And should probably stay there. He’s dead…” Sam felt his throat go dry.

“Chris explained that situation, Bobby told him about it.” Derek offered a moment later as he opened the door to a large library. “This is the last time we are going to use this retreat. Roz and Hero had a bit of a miscommunication, so everything is being packed up to go with us when we leave.” He explained, “Sorry about the boxes.” Half the study was packed away in labeled boxes, by the year but not author. Sam gazed at them with longing. 

Dean smiled, “I’m going to guess Derek is the nerd?” 

Laura nodded, quickly. “I was supposed to be the alpha. I was for a time, but Peter killed me for it, then Derek killed him for it. Roz brought me back to life, and Peter used magic to make Lydia bring him back to life before Derek turned her into a werewolf.” 

“I reckon it’s dad’s blood that does that then.” Sam laughed, “We’ve been dead countless times.”

“So Chris told us.” Laura mused, “We aren’t a normal pack. We police our own. Derek will be the first to tell you that it’s been a hard decade, since our parents died and everything else.” She cringed a little bit, “I’m sorry we aren’t human, Chris explained that might be hard for you. Since you're hunters, and your mother was killed by a demon…”

Dean blinked, “A demon killed our mom, but humans killed yours for no reason.”

Derek frowned, “Bad timing.”

Sam smiled a bit at that, “It would be nice to have a place to call home. Somewhere that we can retreat too. Somewhere Charlie and Kevin would be safe.” He admitted, “They’ve lost everything, thanks to Heaven, Hell and the Leviathans…” which is how Dean found himself explaining how they’d met Castiel, how they’d met Charlie, and how they’d become the guardians of Kevin who was barely nineteen. By the end of it he realized just how much of himself was in Derek, even though they’d only just met. Derek in turn told their story, from Paige’s death to the point that Roz had returned, not glossing over any of the darker parts, and only halfway flinching when he spoke about Kate. Then he explained the different members of their pack, and how each one had come to be a part of them. Even if Derek hadn’t been sure about them.

“Der!” It was Stiles who peeked into the room, “Mom says food is done, and she doesn’t know how long she can keep the chimeras from devouring it.” 

“Thanks, babe.” Derek muttered, as he looked to the others, “Stiles is my… mate?”

Laura laughed, “Once Stiles is eighteen anyways. Noah, Peter and Roz are a triade.” 

“Wait, all three of them….?” Dean was momentarily worried as he envisioned the three of them in any number of sexual positions, “Ew.”

“Thus why they are the pack parents, plus Roz is pretty much the oldest creature around except maybe Harel. No one knows for sure how old the Elf is, and I guess Castiel?” Laura led them out of the study on that note. Sam and Dean shared a look, with Sam mouthing  _ elf? _

☽♚♛♚☾

Claire Novak was in a children's home in Grand Rapids. To her amazement the caseworker who had told her someone had wanted to adopt her seemed a bit mystified about the whole situation. “There is a man here, named James Novak, he says he is your father’s brother, and his wife, Laura Hale-Novak.” The little girl let out a startled noise as her father’s body appeared, it took her moment to realize that he was the angel - Castiel, before she nodded at the case worker. “Mr. and Mrs. Novak we have some paperwork you need to sign.”

“James, you go ahead, I’m going to talk to Claire, ok?” Laura grinned warmly, as the caseworker led Castiel out of the room, “Hi, Princess, my name's Laura. I know this is really confusing, but Castiel is worried about you growing up here with no one who knows the truth about you, and what happened to your family. I’m Sam and Dean’s younger sister, my mom Roz can’t wait to meet you.”

Forty-five minutes later Laura was buckling Claire into the backseat of a rental, “So I’m twelve now.” The little girl declared as she glared at the back of Castiel’s head, “And my moms dead, my grandma's dead and my dad is dead.”

“Claire, I know you dislike me.” Castiel offered, solemnly. “But please, this family we are going to… they are something amazing. Dean, Sam, and I all live with them. So does our friend Charlie Bradbury, Kevin Tran, Bobby Singer, and we’ve even got Ellen and Jo Harville. I know you know about them briefly from when I used you as a vessel.”

Laura coughed a little bit then said, “We are going back to California, ok?” Claire nodded. “Summer is about to be over, so we needed to get you before school started. It took a long time to track you down.” Laura smiled at her, “My little cousin Lorilee is a year older than you, but she promised to help you at school and get used to everything in Beacon Hills.”

“So, what are you?” Claire asked, expectantly, “Castiel is an angel.”

“I know, I’m a werewolf. And one of my boyfriends is a HellHound. My mom is part Vampire, there are three other Vampires in our pack, and we have two kitsune - they are fox-shifters, a Fairy, a skinwalker, some hybrids, we are a little short on humans right now, but… that’s not a bad thing.” She smiled at Claire, “And you know Castiel’s an angel, Dean and Sam are sort of unkillable, Kevin’s a prophet, Charlie’s a hacker, and Ellen and Jo literally make the best alcohol I’ve ever had the pleasure of tasting.”

Claire nodded, “Cool.”

-/-

Stiles and Roz were hanging up a WELCOME HOME CLAIRE banner when Derek whistled to get their attention, “Come down here, Stiles.” He muttered, and laughed as the boy hurried down to him, “I was wondering if you would like to go on a date with me before School gets started. I know you're seventeen and only a junior, but I thought we could grab a movie or something?”

Stiles looked past Derek to see both Peter and Noah standing in the doorway looking at him, and Roz watching with an amused look, “Is that ok mom, dad, creeperwolf?”

“Ah, come on, when am I going to get a nicer name?” Peter grumbled, Noah laughed as Roz lept from the ladder and kissed both their cheeks, “Do we care?”

“Nah, go have fun, but  _ after _ we meet Claire.” Roz ordered.

After they’d left Hero’s lands they’d closed on the third house in a row, and had started to bridge the basements together. Behind Noah’s house, in a little clearing in the woods Derek had started to build a cabin that would be just for him and Stiles. Ellen and Jo had bought the house across the road from the original Stilinski house, Charlie lived with them as did Kevin. Bobby had taken to living in the main Stilinski compound, Dean and Sam liked living in the second house (the one that Peter called his). Castiel chose to stay with Dean and Sam. Lorilee’s room in the main house had been converted to hold Claire’s things as well. The third house fell under Han’s domain, and most of the betas from Hero’s ‘trade’ lived in it. 

Peter and Dean might have gone overboard with Charlie and Melissa when it came to buying Claire anything she could possibly want for her room. They were seriously working on creating a unified pack, they had Dread Doctors and Ghost Riders on the horizon. 

“Of course, after.” Stiles nodded, “Castiel seems pretty cool about you know, getting a daughter.”

“It’s more like Dean got a daughter.” Noah offered, “Castiel has no… paternal instincts toward the girl, I think it’s because he wasn’t in touch with his human side when he met her last.” Noah had been filled up on all the hunter bullshit possible. 

Chris, Melissa and Eliza joined them a beat later, “Laura just called they are going to be here soon.” Eliza offered, with a wide smile. “It feels like we are starting to be a real pack.”

“More like a covenant.” Chris said seriously, “Is Morrell coming back to do the tattoos on our new members?” Chris wondered aloud, they’d have to work around Dean and Sam’s demon warding, as well as Jo, Ellen, Charlie, Bobby, and Kevin’s demon warding tattoos. “And we are all getting the demon warding and the angel warding?”

“That’s right, lots of tattoos. There are threats we didn’t know about.” Melissa hummed.

Derek laughed as he pushed his arms around Stiles, “I think we got a new kid.” He sniffed, “Laura, Cas and Claire are here.” He added. The whole pack had squished into the Stilinski house, with smiles on their faces and open hearts. Laura was the first one in, she stepped to the side to reveal Claire, the little girl was rubbing sleep out of her eyes.

“Finally someone my age!” Lorilee giggled as she darted forward to hug Claire, “Welcome home.”

“Thanks.” The blonde eyed them all, “So I was told my adoptive parents are Roz, Peter and Noah?” She blinked, “Why are there two dads?” The trio in question laughed.

“Claire, we promise to get you caught up on how packs work, ok?” She nodded, “And when you're older if you want to be something other than human, well… we can figure that out too.” 

Stiles leaned into Derek, and whispered, “If we make our break now, she might not notice.” Roz waved them away with a flick of her wrist, making Derek laugh.

-/-

They ended up at the lookout cliffs over Beacon Hills. The ocean was behind them, with all of the city below and in front of them. “So, mates?” Stiles whispered.

“Where did you hear that?” Derek blushed, a bit red.

Stiles snorted, “When Roz and I were in the hospital.” He paused, “I get why you haven’t told me, or really tried anything. Kate left a lasting impression and it seems like anytime we have down time there’s another crisis, like that coven of witches we helped Sam and Dean with.” That was an added bonus of having the Winchester brothers around. Lydia, Stiles and Roz had spent about a month combining the Argent, Hale and Winchester beastieres into one. Sam and Dean still went on hunting trips, but they always took someone supernatural with them. They checked in and were never gone more than three days. “Or those Wendigos.” Stiles shivered, harshly. “Alberta Canada owes us.”

Derek laughed, “Stiles, seriously.” He kissed the boy's cheek, “Mates?”

“Oh, hell yeah Sourwolf.” Stiles smiled, “My dad got his happily ever after, everyone has someone, some people have two someones.” He said a little lower, “I love you, I think I have since the first time you pushed me into a wall, honestly.”

Derek groaned, “I knew when we were fighting the Kanima in the pool. I couldn’t protect you and it was… the worst feeling of my life. All I wanted to do was save you, and Roz had to do it.” 

Stiles wiggled around until he was practically in Derek’s lap, “I love you, Sourwolf, I want to be your mate, and I can’t wait to see what the future is like. Let the monsters come, the Creatures of Beacon Hills can take them everyone!” He vowed, and pressed his lips to Derek, it wasn’t coordinated or well practiced, Stiles kissed sloppy and eager, it was perfect and wonderful and Derek felt like his head was spinning. 

Maybe all the only hunters and supernatural things that wanted to kill Stiles were bad guys. Maybe the Beacon Pack was bad guys? Eitherway, Stiles Stilniski’s life was no longer  **bullshit.** He had a step-mom and step-dad, his dad was practically the head parent of the four (almost five) houses that made up the Beacon Pack, he had the best friends in the world, he had magic, and to top it all off like a cherry on top, he got to keep Derek Hale for his very own. Maybe it had always been Stiles job to keep the flame that lit the change that brought them all together, Roz had once called him a catalyst. Smiling as Derek held him even closer, the alpha nosing along his throat, Stiles decided he could be the Keeper of The Flame, at least until the next hero worthy came along. Sue him if he hoped it was hundreds of years from now. 

* * *

The End....

For Now....

* * *


End file.
